Just For Tonight
by Cazza799
Summary: Takes place after 3x18 and AU after that. Dan finds himself taking care of Blair after Dorota's wedding. Over time they grow closer and their relationship develops.  Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first thing I've written in a long time. Please accept my apology if it's awful but I really only wrote it to entertain myself. It's an episode tag to 3x18. I think it works as a oneshot but if inspiration strikes me I might continue. Needless to say I don't own Gossip Girl. **

As the evening winds down Dan spots Blair sitting alone in the corner of the room with a forlorn expression on her face. For some reason tonight he has been at her side more than he ever has before and she almost seems like a friend. He knows it can't be easy for her. He also doesn't think the shots she's been partaking of all evening are helping, and he's feels more than a little responsible for getting her started on that path. The alcohol just seems to have made her miserable.

He isn't sure when her happiness, or lack of it, even made it onto his radar but somehow tonight it has. Several times he's gone out of his way to make her feel better. So now he takes a seat beside her and tries to work out exactly how drunk she is.

When she lays her head on his shoulder he has his answer. A sober Blair Waldorf would never even consider doing that.

"Humphrey, I can't do this," she mumbles into his side.

"Can't do what?"

"Be on my own. I've lost Chuck. Dorota's starting her own life. Serena and Nate are sickeningly happy. Even you've got Vanessa."

He works hard to ignore the thinly veiled insult in her last comment.

"You know I wouldn't exactly call Chuck much of a loss and Dorota will always be around if you need her," he gently reassures her.

"Hmm," is all he gets in response and he feels her growing heavy against his side. He sees that her eyes have started to droop and hauls her to her feet.

"Come on Waldorf, time to get you home. Is there anyone still here who can take you?"

She staggers against him and he holds her up.

"Did we not just discuss this? I'm all alone. Just put me in a cab Humphrey," she demands.

They make it to the door and he hails a taxi but once he manages to get her into the backseat he crawls in after her. As if he would even consider sending her home alone in her current state. He silently curses his inner gentleman.

She tries to protest his presence but she really is flagging now and before he knows it she's slumped against his side once more while he gives the directions to the cab driver and then they're on the move.

Suddenly in the back of the darkened cab it's as if something breaks and he hears her start to quietly sob. Now he realises why she didn't want him with her. She had barely been holding it together. In that moment he could kick Chuck's ass because you can say a lot of things about Blair but when she loves, she loves with every ounce of her being, and how dare he break her like this.

He takes a deep breath, because who knows how this one will pan out, and pulls him to her, holding her while she silently shakes. She doesn't even fight him and somehow that breaks his heart just a little.

It's at this moment that she starts to mumble into his chest about not wanting her Mom and Cyrus to see her like this. He makes a split second decision and re-directs the cab driver to Brooklyn. He holds her all the way, and the fact that she doesn't object to their new destination says more about the state she is currently in than anything else would have done.

By the time they reach the loft she has dosed off against him and he gently nudges her awake.

Somehow they make it up the stairs and to the couch with her leaning heavily on him. She sinks down and then she's looking up at him tearfully and mumbling something about how she doesn't want to be 'that person' anymore.

He immediately makes the connection to their previous conversation and wonders at how easily he's able to follow her train of thought.

"You were never that person," and he's surprised by how much he means it.

"Humphrey, I'm the, better dressed, female version of Chuck Bass"

He sits beside her and looks her straight in the eyes.

"Blair, God knows I've had my issues with you over the last few years, but you never were, and never will be, Chuck Bass." He pores every ounce of sincerity he has into that statement because for some reason, in this moment, he really needs her to believe that about herself.

She gives him a watery half-smile.

"You don't know what I've become but thanks Humphrey."

And there in his Brooklyn loft he finds himself listening to the whole sordid tale of the demise of Blair and Chuck. Once again he finds himself truly despising Chuck Bass.

"So now do you see why I'm such a terrible person Humphrey?" she finishes sadly.

He sighs, "All I see is someone who's been horribly manipulated by Chuck. You aren't exactly the first person to find themselves in that position."

He sees her relax slightly. Obviously the very act of sharing her story has lightened the load a little. Once again she looks tired however and the night has started to wear him down too. He rubs his hand over his eyes, then grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet.

"Come on you can take my bed," he says and doesn't even stop to think about the fact that neither of them have suggested that she goes home.

"I'll take the couch. I don't think my Dad and Jenny will be home tonight by the way but I can't be sure"

She seems to have sobered up considerably now but in her tired state she still leans against him as he guides her to his bedroom. He can't believe it when she even silently accepts one of his shirts to sleep in and turns his back while she changes.

He thinks what a surreal night this has been as he watches Blair Waldorf climb into his bed and wonders how he will ever explain it to Vanessa. Maybe he just won't bother trying.

"Goodnight Blair" he says softly and turns to make for the door but she grabs his hand and pulls him back towards her.

"Can you just stay?" she asks softly, looking almost terrified at the thought of him leaving.

And in that moment when he looks at her tear-stained face he would do anything to mend her, just a little, so he climbs in beside her.

She snuggles into his chest and he chuckles when she softly says, "This doesn't make us friends Humphrey," while moving even closer.

He doesn't know what this makes them.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank-you to all the lovely people who left reviews. You really inspired me. It was a big confidence boost because I really didn't know if anybody would like my story. I've decided to have a shot at continuing because I'm starting to develop a rough idea of where this could go. This chapter is still from Dan's point of view. I'll maybe try Blair's next time but I think she's potentially a lot more difficult to write.**

Dan wakes fairly early realising he's in bed with a girl, and she isn't Vanessa. Then the events of the previous evening come flooding back. Bair is still wrapped in his arms and he can't bring himself to pull away. She seemed so broken the night before and when he looks down at her now Mascara still streaks her face. She moves even closer to him in her sleep and he feels a surge of protectiveness for the girl who has shown him a side of herself he's sure not many have witnessed.

Despite the fact that Blair has at times been truly awful to him, especially when he was dating Serena, she has always intrigued him. Someone who works that hard to portray a perfect image to the outside world clearly has something to hide and he's caught a glimpse of the cracks in her facade a few times before. He certainly caught more than a glimpse of her insecurities last night.

He's embarrassed to admit it to himself but he kind of enjoyed being her knight in shining armour last night. He is a guy after all and what guy doesn't enjoy that opportunity once in a while. Vanessa isn't really the type to need saving. Having said that up until last night he wouldn't have believed Blair was either.

He's still studying the girl in his arms and musing about the previous day's events when he hears a noise from the kitchen and realises they aren't alone.

"God, please don't let it be Jenny."

He isn't exactly keen on running into his Dad this morning either but he is definitely the lesser of two evils at this point given the history between his sister and the girl in his bed. He's reluctant to get up and doesn't really want to wake Blair as she still looks exhausted. (Once again he surprises himself that he cares so much.) However if it is Jenny she certainly isn't above bursting into his room and right now that would be disastrous.

He gently removes his arms from around Blair, sliding away from her and out of bed. She moans slightly at the loss of contact but just moves into the dip he left in the mattress and continues to sleep. He sidles out of his bedroom door.

"Morning Dad," he says while grabbing a pancake and trying to look nonchalant. "Jenny here?"

"No she stayed with Eric last night"

Dan breathes a sigh of relief and starts on his breakfast. For a few minutes the only sound is the two of them eating.

"How was your night?" asks Rufus at the same time as Dan blurts out, "Dad you should know I didn't come back here alone last night"

"Dan, I'm aware that you and Vanessa are sleeping together. It's hardly a shock when she comes back here with you."

"Dad no, it wasn't Vanessa I came home with and before you make assumptions, I'm not cheating on her either."

"So if it wasn't Vanessa exactly who did spend the night here?"

"It was just a...." and at this moment Dan pauses. He'd been about to say friend but Blair had made it perfectly clear last night that they weren't friends and he isn't sure if he's ready for that anyway. However now definitely isn't the time to try and define their relationship.

"It was just a girl I know who had a crappy day and needed a place to stay."

"And was that place to stay your bed?"

"Well.......yes, but it wasn't like that. I just told you. I'm not cheating on Vanessa"

"Good to know Humphrey."

The voice comes from behind him and he turns around to see Blair standing there, wearing her dress from the night before with his shirt over the top. She has bare feet and he has never seen her look so bedraggled and so un-Blair.

"Good Morning Mr Humphrey"

"Good Morning Blair," he replies, looking more than a little bewildered.

His confusion is hardly surprising thinks Dan. He's fairly sure his Dad could have speculated for hours about who had spent the night in his son's bed without landing on Blair as the answer.

"Be careful son," Rufus mutters under his breath before heading for the door. "Well I've just remembered I'm meeting someone for breakfast so I'll leave you two to it," he adds in a louder voice with a ridiculously large smile. Like a jack in the box he's gone.

Dan turns to Blair, "Well that was subtle."

She jumps up on the stool beside him and nudges against his shoulder.

"So pancakes Humphrey? I was looking forward to the infamous waffles."

He grins, "Contrary to popular opinion we do occasionally eat something else. Help yourself though."

She takes a pancake and starts nibbling on it daintily.

"So how did you sleep?" he asks.

"Surprisingly well. Listen thanks for last night, you didn't have to listen to me and you certainly didn't have to let me stay. I'm sorry for imposing."

"Blair it wasn't an imposition," and he actually means it. "So what's your plan for today? You can hop in the shower if you like and I can call you a cab."

He sees her eyes start to water and panics because he doesn't know what he can possibly have said to upset her.

"Blair what's wrong?"

"I'm just not ready to go back to the Upper East Side and face everything. I can't believe I'm saying this but can I maybe stay here in Brooklyn? Just for today"

By 'everything' he knows she means Chuck and that's a whole mess he isn't sure he wants to get any more involved in than he already is.

"Blair, I don't own Brooklyn. You can stay here if you want."

"All right, obviously you're going to make me say it. Can I stay here in Brooklyn _with you_?

And he finds there is no way he can deny her. Not while she still looks so sad.

He smiles, "Fine. Who would have thought it? Dan and Blair are spending the day together."

She gives him a tiny smile but still looks so pathetic that he puts his arm around her and gives her a quick squeeze. He feels her forget herself just for a moment and relax against him, breathing deeply, before squirming away.

"Don't get any ideas Humphrey," she jokes, but this time the smile reaches her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again to all those who reviewed. You are fantastic. You encouraged me to finish this chapter much more quickly. It's from Blair's point of view which I'm a little nervous about. I apologise if she slips out of character at all. Also at this point I should probably mention I'm from the UK (Scotland to be exact) and my spelling is therefore UK spelling. I don't think it makes any difference to the story so I'll stick to what I know. However if I have the characters using any British words that they wouldn't usually use I'd love it if someone could point it out for me. I also apologise in advance to anyone who likes canned ham. I've always hated it. Even before I became a vegetarian. Now that I've finished rambling I'll get to the story. **

Standing in the shower, Blair desperately tries to make sense of everything in her head before she comes out of the bathroom to face Dan. This has definitely been one of the most unexpected 24 hours of her life. She certainly didn't think yesterday that this morning she'd be standing in the Humphreys' shower after spending the night in Dan's bed. That's another thing. In her head he is definitely 'Dan' to her now. Not that she'll be using his first name anytime soon. She doesn't want him to think this thing between them is more than it is. First she needs time to work out for herself what's going on. Are they friends now?

All she knows is that when he suggested calling her a cab this morning she was suddenly hit with an acute sense of panic. To begin with she believed it was the thought of seeing Chuck but now she realises it was the thought of leaving Dan. She can admit to herself that the whole experience with Chuck and Jack has left her shaken and feeling more than a little violated. It was such a relief to share the whole story with Dan and for once he didn't judge her. Last night in his arms she just felt _safe_ and she was also finally able to sleep. That had been eluding her for days.

Silently she tells herself to get it together. This is Dan. He isn't some sort of security blanket. He's so scruffy and he lives in _Brooklyn_ for God's sake. But he has kind eyes and he let her stay even although she can admit she has been less than friendly to him in the past and he held her all night. She determines to stop this argument with herself now. She knows from previous experience it could go on all morning. They'll just spend the day together and try not to be seen by anyone, because let's face it that wouldn't end well for either of them. By the end of the day maybe he'll just be Humphrey again, he'll disgust her and she won't need to worry about any of this.

When she gets out of the shower she changes into some of Jenny's clothes from a couple of years ago, wrinkling her nose, another reason not to be seen today, and goes to find Dan. He's just putting on his jacket.

"It's about time Blair. I know you were trying to wash the 'scent of Brooklyn' off but that was getting ludicrous."

"Where are you going?" She again feels that ridiculous sense of near panic at the thought of being separated from him and berates herself inwardly. "Not that it matters to me," she adds quickly, trying to retrieve the situation.

He just smiles, "Relax Blair. _We _are going out. I have a few errands I need to run and it'll be a chance for you to get the feel of Brooklyn."

She screws up her face. "I've never really felt the need to get the feel of Brooklyn and besides, someone might see me."

"There's the excitement I was hoping for," says Dan sarcastically. "Hey, you were the one who wanted to spend the day with me."

He grabs her by the hand and pulls her towards the door and she doesn't really resist. He does have a point after all. This whole thing was her idea and she can hardly expect him to disrupt his whole day for her.

In the end she actually almost has fun. They spend the morning in a used book store where Dan is searching for some texts he needs for NYU. Although she can't resist a few digs about his bargain basement ideas she does relish the idea that the chances of Gossip Girl finding them here are remarkably thin. She even makes a massive effort to ignore the thought of what she could catch from volumes that have been through so many hands and browses through some books herself. After all it's only Jenny's clothes that will get covered in dust. She stops short of any purchases though. She can't abandon all her ideals. Her college texts are brand new and untainted.

Once Dan has found all of the books he was looking for, except one that eludes him, he decides that their next stop is for groceries. She lets it slip that grocery shopping is something she does not do and quickly regrets it, although it certainly entertains him.

"Seriously Blair, you've never shopped for groceries?" She shakes her head. "You grew up on the Upper East Side. You're not royalty."

"Mostly we just had them delivered. Dorota picked up anything else we needed." She almost feels ashamed and gives herself a shake. Grocery shopping is hardly a rite of passage, however much Dan Humphrey makes it sound like it is.

"So you never got to actually choose anything. Someone else always decided what you liked."

"Get over it Humphrey. Not having the glorious opportunity to shop for groceries was hardly the most disappointing part of my childhood. Besides what a great chance you have now. Think of all the delights you can introduce me to."

"Alright, you can tone down the sarcasm a notch. I get it. Blair Waldorf was not deprived."

As they make their way around the store she finds herself admitting to more and more of the little things she didn't do growing up, like eating pizza from a box or whipped cream from the can. It seems absolutely ridiculous that Dan Humphrey is feeling sorry for her but she can tell that he is from the way that he's looking at her. As he did earlier this morning he gives her a sort of one-armed hug and this time she gives herself a little longer before she pulls away.

By the time they reach the register she is disgusted with several of his purchases and suspects that he may be overdoing the 'poor Brooklynite' act to mock her. Surely even the Humphreys don't enjoy canned ham? She catches him smirking as he claims it is, "One of his absolute favourites", and thinks she has her answer.

As they make their way back to the loft with Dan staggering under the weight of several bags of groceries, because she stops short of actually carrying anything, she marvels at everything she has gone along with today. She can't believe she actually enjoyed a day of rummaging through dirty old books and shopping for groceries. It's almost like she's stepped into someone else's life and there's something a little liberating about that. (Or there is in the short term at least. She can't see herself becoming a connoisseur of second hand stores.) Everything with Dan is so easy and relaxed. Plus there's the added advantage that Chuck wouldn't be seen dead anywhere they've been today.

She realises Dan is speaking and drags herself away from her thoughts.

"Sorry?"

He gives her a nudge, "Wake up Blair. I said what do you think about dropping these off and heading somewhere for coffee? I promise I'll take you somewhere the Department of Health would approve of."

"Well seeing as you make it sound so appealingly sanitary, why not"

A while later they are sitting at a table in a coffee shop not far from the loft. They've been sitting quietly for a while and Dan is looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

She rubs her nose, "Do I have something on my face?"

"I'm just thinking"

"Thinking while sitting staring at me. You're making me a little uncomfortable Humphrey"

"OK fine, I'm sitting here wondering what you possibly saw in Chuck for all this time."

She feels herself getting angry and automatically shifts into Chuck defence mode.

"I know you won't believe it, but he can be really sweet and he takes care of me." She corrects herself, "Took care of me, and he does love me in his own way. Besides I know it sounds conceited but there's something addictive about someone wanting you that much. I'm just not sure it's enough anymore."

"He's also manipulative and more than a little twisted," Dan counters.

"But that's just it. So am I. I'm evil remember. You've said it yourself before."

His hand is now resting on top of hers and she's fairly sure he hasn't even noticed he's doing it.

"I'm not sure I've ever actually called you evil Blair."

She raises her eyebrows at him.

"OK maybe once or twice but I think I was being a bit unfair"

She moves her hand away from his.

"To be honest I'm not sure you were being unfair. I've done some things I'm not proud of and despite you trying to let me off the hook I can't completely forgive myself for my part in the Jack affair. Now I feel like we've slipped into some alternate reality where you try to defend my character and I try to convince you I'm evil to the core. Shouldn't we be on opposite sides of this argument?"

"Now I've won," Dan grins. "I don't think truly evil people ever actually see themselves as bad."

She smiles back, "Fine, we'll agree on seriously misguided then."

She grabs his hand and pulls him to his feet, "Come on lets go before you force me to examine my innermost self any further."

She's still smiling as she leaves the coffee shop but it quickly fades when she sees Chuck waiting on the sidewalk.

"So Gossip Girl was right then. You are slumming it on the other side of the bridge," he sneers.

Chuck reaches for her arm and Dan steps between them.

Before she even realises what's happening Chuck swings his fist towards him and catches him right on the side of his face. She hears herself scream as Dan hits the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank-you again to all the people who reviewed, especially those of you who have taken the time to review every chapter. Your support means a lot to me. I still feel I'm finding my way back into writing slowly but hopefully I'll improve as time goes on. In all honesty I struggled with the Chuck and Blair section. I've tinkered with it a lot and eventually just decided to post before I drove myself crazy. The second half of the chapter with just Blair and Dan was a lot easier to write.**

It takes Dan a few moments to pull himself together and by the time he does Blair is kneeling beside him screaming at Chuck to get away from them before she calls the police. He determines at that moment not to step in because he knows Blair needs to do this. This is her battle and she doesn't need him taking it from her, no matter how much he wants to protect her from it. Besides he's still more than a little stunned from the punch.

So he keeps his mouth shut and merely watches as Chuck desperately fights his corner.

"I don't believe you Blair. You might try to deny it but you still love me. Admit it, this," he gestures dismissively towards Dan still on the ground. "This is nothing more than a distraction. You'll come back to me Blair because we're meant to be together. We're practically the same person you and I."

"Maybe I don't want to be that person anymore Chuck. I'll probably always love you, but I need to love myself too. I'm starting to realise that when I'm with you, I just can't do that."

"That's ridiculous Blair. I didn't make you the person you are. The scheming, the lying, the games, that's all you. It's all part of why I love you. We're unstoppable together and maybe things went too far this time but we got what we wanted."

"No Chuck, you got what you wanted. I convinced myself I wanted it too and that it was all worth it because I loved you so much but it wasn't. It just wasn't."

Her voice cracks and she almost breaks. Dan is sure she's going to lose it and glances encouragingly at her but she pulls herself together, stands up and adds forcefully,

"Just go Chuck. There's no place for you here."

Chuck grabs at her and now he's almost begging, "Not till you come with me. I need you Blair."

And then she really does break but she's almost shouting through her tears, "Please Chuck, I need you to go. I hate myself for what I did and you can't fix that."

Dan sees the expression on Chuck's face and knows that Blair has won.

"Just remember I'll always love you Blair." Chuck grasps her hand just for a moment and then he's gone.

Dan finds he has recovered enough now to get himself to his feet and he puts his hand on Blair's arm as she watches the car pull away with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Then she takes a deep breath and turns to him. From the gasp she lets out, and the throbbing in his cheek, he guesses Chuck must have done a bit of damage and isn't surprised when she insists that he needs medical attention.

He really doesn't want to go to the hospital because he just wants to get home and nurse his wounded ego. He firmly believes there's a lot more damage to that than there is to his face. However she's adamant and he quickly agrees when he sees the tears start to well up in her eyes once more.

She hails a cab and once they're away from the prying eyes on the street he sees her emotions hit her full force again.

"It's all my fault," she keeps repeating as the tears start to fall and she's actually shaking ever so slightly.

"Of course it's not your fault," he insists in the back of the cab. "Unless my memory has been seriously affected I'm fairly sure you aren't the one who hit me in the face."

"I'm still sorry. I'm sorry I dragged you into my mess and I'm sorry you had to deal with Chuck"

He smiles and pulls her into a hug. "I think you'll find it was actually you who dealt with Chuck. I was a bit of a spectator."

He feels her relax against him and her shaking has subsided. She grabs his hand.

"You're right. Maybe I can do this. I thought I needed Chuck but I just ended up losing myself in him."

He can't believe he's sitting in the back of a cab holding hands with Blair Waldorf. He runs his thumb backwards and forwards across her knuckles and tries to encourage her still further.

"You don't need anyone Blair. You're strong enough on your own. It's one of the things I've always admired about you. Let's face it, you held Serena together for years. You just need to have a bit of belief in yourself.

She gives him a half smile. "Who would have thought it, Dan Humphrey my biggest champion?"

They sit in a comfortable silence for the rest of the journey but she doesn't let go of his hand.

In the end he gets the all clear at the emergency room. His face is seriously swollen so they insist on x-rays and a series of scans but there are no broken bones and he has no concussion. However he does have a seriously sore face and a worsening headache. He can't wait to get home.

They travel back to the loft together and he doesn't even question the fact that Blair is still with him. It seems natural now.

He smiles as he settles at one end of the sofa and she bustles around heating the soup she found in the groceries he bought earlier. She forces it upon him as he protests that it really isn't necessary and while she clears up he catches her checking on him occasionally. To keep her happy he finishes the whole bowl and then leans back into the couch and closes his eyes.

He feels the couch dip at the other end and figures she's joined him but he doesn't open his eyes. He still has a mammoth headache and find's it's a bit more bearable with his eyes closed.

"Does it still hurt?" she asks very softly

"Honestly, my head's still thumping," he replies, opening his eyes a little and wincing at the pain.

"Come here," she says and beckons him towards her. He raises an eyebrow unsure of her intentions.

"Look, I feel more than a little responsible for this. It certainly wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten yourself involved in my mess. The least I can do is try to make you feel a little better."

The next thing he knows she's arranged it so that he's lying flat on his back on the couch with his head in her lap. He knows that should feel awkward but right now he's too tired and sore to care.

"Let me know if I'm hurting you," she says softly as she very lightly massages his temples, carefully avoiding the swelling on his face.

It's all he can do to suppress a moan of contentment when she starts to very gently run her fingers through his hair because it feels amazing.

There is part of him that knows he shouldn't be getting so involved with her but he's in too deep now anyway and despite his pep talk about how she'll be fine on her own he finds he doesn't want to abandon her when she's so vulnerable.

He turns on his side as she continues her ministrations and thinks briefly about how he could get used to this before exhaustion overtakes him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This was a much easier chapter to write which is why it's up so quickly. It's possibly a little too sugary but I couldn't help myself. Just remember Blair's still a little vulnerable at this point and try to forgive me. To those of you who are wondering where the other characters are, they will be appearing at some point. I know I'm going to have to address the Vanessa issue eventually for a start. Right now I'm just enjoying myself far too much spending time with Dan and Blair. As usual, thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are fantastic. If you haven't reviewed already I'd love to hear your thoughts. (Hint, hint) Also thanks to all those who have added me to alerts and favourites. I'm very flattered.**

Blair had never even considered the possibility that she could spend this much time with Dan Humphrey without them killing each other. After all, almost all of their interactions in high school had ended in some sort of confrontation, no matter how minor.

They're on Dan's bed right now because when he woke up he decided he wanted to try and avoid Rufus seeing what happened to his face. Personally she thinks managing to avoid his father until it heals is unlikely but she lets him think it might be possible. There's also the fact that it's on Gossip Girl now. She can't imagine the younger Humphrey keeping it to herself for long when she sees it.

Her life just keeps getting stranger. Hanging out in Dan's bedroom, on his bed no less, well it's weird on so many levels. Not necessarily weird in a bad way but it's a little disconcerting nonetheless. She's finding it hard to get her head round how comfortable she feels around him.

She's propped up against the wall with a pillow in her lap. Dan's head is on that same pillow. His eyes are closed and she knows he must still be in a bit of pain although he swears it's much better since her massage and his nap. She twirls her fingers absent-mindedly in his hair.

"I've made a decision. I'm going to give NYU a proper try. Inside I never really gave it a decent shot because I was so convinced I didn't belong there. It always felt like a consolation prize."

He opens his eyes and looks up at her. "You thought you were dismissing NYU _inside_?" he interrupts. "I've got to tell you Blair, there was very little that was internal about your disgust for NYU. You made it pretty obvious to all around."

She puts her hand over his mouth, "Shhh, I'm trying to tell you my plan where I immerse myself in college life and academic excellence. Be a supportive friend."

He grins, looking up at her, "So we're friends now Blair?"

She smiles back, "I suppose now that you've taken a punch in the face for me I can fast track you to friend status."

He sounds less than sincere when he replies, "I'm honoured," so she gives him a quick punch to the arm. Not too hard, she doesn't want to actually hurt him.

"You should be Humphrey. I never thought it would be possible. We don't exactly have much in common."

She sees his eyes soften as he replies, "It might sound kind of corny but I actually do know what a big deal this is Blair. I know you're not a big fan of letting people into your life but to be honest I've always be more than a little cautious about that myself. Call it a leftover from my days as an outsider."

She squeezes his hand and is horrified to feel a tear trickle down her cheek once more. Honestly she's starting to feel like a human fountain, but then Dan reaches up and brushes it away with his thumb and she realises they really are becoming friends. Seeing as she hasn't made a single friend since high school she knows what he means about it being kind of a big deal. She hadn't realised how lonely she was, even while she was still with Chuck.

It's this realisation which causes the words, "Just don't make me regret it," to spill from her lips. She winces at how threatening it sounds. Not a great start to their friendship. He sits up and she assumes she's scared him away already but instead he joins her in leaning with his back against the wall and beckons him towards her.

He pulls her into a hug and she lets herself relax into him, burying her head in his chest. She's never been a big hugger. Sometimes with Nate, but he always seemed a little removed. (She knows now there's a good chance he was thinking about Serena for a lot of the time he was with her so it's hardly surprising.) Certainly hugging was never a big part of her relationship with Chuck. It was all about drama, passion and sex which while amazing, didn't exactly contribute to a feeling of safety. Dan on the other hand seems to be all about the hugging and she admits to herself that she's starting to like it. Let's face it; he certainly has the arms for it. She's seen him shirtless before and, while she may have pretended it disgusted her; good God that guy has a nice torso. She's only human after all.

She sits up a little but is still leaning against him with her eyes closed when he murmurs, "I won't hurt you Blair. I promise."

"Please don't promise that. Everybody hurts me eventually." She's surprised at her own frankness but he seems to have done something to her where these revelations just fall out of her mouth, almost of their own accord.

"Fine, I promise I'll work as hard as I can not to hurt you."

"That's good enough." She takes a deep breath and tries to lighten the mood, although she doesn't leave his side. "Anyway, back to my brilliant plan to change my life."

"Alright then, when you say you're going to give NYU a proper try what exactly do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really no. I think you'll need to flesh it out for me a bit. Are we talking, living on campus, spending time in the library, going to college parties, or returning to your plan for NYU social domination?"

"All of the above, minus the social domination. I'm not promising I've left scheming behind for life, I'm still Blair Waldorf, but I'd just like to give something a bit different a try for a while. Anyway what I'm thinking is that I'll need a guide through the whole college experience and you seem to be a pro at it so what do you say?"

"I say the last time I helped you out with the 'college experience' it didn't end so well, or have you forgotten the party on the roof?"

"Ah but that was before we were friends Humphrey. I'd never do that to you now."

"Blair, from what I remember some of your best schemes have featured your _friends_ rather heavily, quite often without their prior knowledge"

She supposes she has to give him that. She can hardly blame him for being reluctant to trust her. "Fair enough Humphrey. I guess I can go it alone"

"Relax Blair, I'm only teasing. I'll do what I can but I've had my fair share of college difficulties myself. I'm not sure how much help I'll be. So are you going home tonight or do you want to stay?"

The abrupt change in topic takes her by surprise and she thinks about how she should really be trying to toughen up, but that right now it can wait. One more night won't hurt and Dan doesn't seem averse to the idea of her staying, so she snuggles in a little closer, and feels the now familiar warmth spread through her.

"Just one more night?" she begs. "I don't think I'm ready to face everybody yet."

"Fine, how about we order some pizza then? We're eating it from the box though. I don't care how much it disgusts you."

"That was the old Blair. You're talking to Blair 2.0"

He laughs, "Sorry I forgot about your revelation for a minute. Of course NYU Blair will love eating pizza from the box."

She smiles happily despite the thinly veiled sarcasm and thinks that this might just be the most relaxed she's been in her whole life.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: OK so from now on this story becomes officially AU. I'll be ignoring most of the post 3x18 storylines because I already had some ideas in my head as to where this was going and it just won't work if I try to incorporate everything that is happening on the show. So unless I specifically refer to something it hasn't happened. I'm sorry for the delay but I hated my first attempt at this chapter and rewrote the whole thing. Thank-you to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter and I hope this one doesn't let you down.**

Blair awakens the following morning still in her clothes from the day before. She'd been up most night talking to Dan. She smiles to herself; it was kind of like one of the sleepovers she used to have with Serena when they were both much younger. Back then she could confide everything in her best friend. That was before life got so complicated.

There are some extra advantages to a sleepover with Dan though. They've gravitated towards each other in their sleep and his arm is around her, while she has hers slung loosely across his chest. She takes a minute to study him while he's still sleeping and thinks about everything he's done for her over the last few days. For the first time she thinks she can see where Serena was coming from when she was with him. Not that she'd ever consider being with him in that way, he's still Dan after all, but she can see why when Serena was trying to change her life he was the one she was drawn too. He's had his moments. (The Miss Carr incident springs to mind for a start.) However fundamentally he's managed to retain his integrity even while being sucked into the lives of the Upper Eastsiders.

She knows however that today she has to start getting her life back together and gives herself a pep talk. She's an independent woman and she doesn't need Dan Humphrey for every little thing, so she's going to allow herself just a few more minutes lying there with him before facing her life. She has to prove to herself she can still stand on her own feet.

At this moment Dan wakes up and catches her studying him.

"Like what you see Miss Waldorf?"

She hits him lightly on the chest, "You've got tickets on yourself don't you Humphrey. I was just thinking that I need to get back to my life. I can't hide here with you forever. I'm going to start with replying to one of the hundreds of texts Serena's been sending about the gossip girls blasts. If she wasn't so sickeningly in love with Nate I'd think she was jealous."

"Yeah, I suspect I've got a few of those conversations to have myself. Vanessa and Jenny spring to mind for a start."

"Do you have any ideas about what you're going to tell Vanessa?"

"The truth I guess," he says, but he looks a little unsure.

"The whole truth Dan? Take some advice from me and omit the nights we've spent in the same bed. You and I might know that it was perfectly innocent but there is no way she'll believe that."

"Blair, you don't really know Vanessa. She's one of the most understanding people I've ever met and we tell each other everything. She'll get it."

"I don't care if she's the most understanding person in the world; there is not a girl in existence that would be OK with her boyfriend letting another girl spend the night in his bed. Just promise me you'll think about it before you open your big mouth."

"I'll think about it but I can't promise anything. Honesty usually works pretty well for me and Vanessa."

"Well don't say I didn't warn you." She gets to her feet and pulls him up with her. "Come on, walk me to the door. I'm going to grab a cab and then shower and change at home. No offence to your sister but I can't spend another day in Jenny Humphrey cast offs."

They walk to the door and once more she's aware of that slight feeling of panic at the thought of leaving him. She gives his hand a quick squeeze.

"This doesn't mean you're rid of me for good though Humphrey." She means it to come out as a light-hearted comment but even she can hear the thinly disguised worry in her voice.

He pulls her into a hug once more and murmurs, "Don't worry Blair, you're stuck with me now. We'll catch up later OK?"

She nods against his chest, takes a deep breath and pulls away.

"Thanks for everything Humphrey." She pecks him quickly on the cheek and turns to go seeing, too late, Jenny standing in the doorway.

"Well thanks for your help with that essay," she says, desperately trying to retrieve the situation. Who does she think she's kidding after all; the youngest Humphrey is hardly a stranger to gossip girl. She makes for the door before things get any worse and throws Dan an apologetic smile over the younger Humphrey's shoulder as she closes it behind her. Dan will have to deal with Jenny alone. She has some explanations of her own to make.

She makes a quick stop for a shower and a change of clothes and then she's on her way to meet Serena for lunch. She rehearses various ways the conversation could go in the cab on her way to the restaurant. After all, she would have struggled to convince herself three days ago that she was friends with Dan Humphrey. She has no clue how she is going to explain it to Serena.

As she approaches the table where Serena is waiting, her heart sinks. The patented Serena smile is in place but Blair is one of the few people who can tell when she's faking, and this is one of those times. When Serena tells her to take a seat there is a very slight edge to her tone.

Blair attempts cheery and breezy as she opens with, "So how are things with you?"

Serena sounds genuinely concerned, when she answers, "Never mind me, are you alright? I can't believe you ended things with Chuck. I thought you two would be together forever. I didn't always understand it but you did seem to fit together."

"Some things can't be forgiven Serena. Not that I'm saying everything was his fault, because it wasn't, but I just felt I needed to move on. As after school special as it sounds I need to find out who I am, and I need to do that away from Chuck."

"So is that what you're doing with Dan? Moving on?" and just like that the slight edge is back in Serena's voice.

"You don't need to say, 'moving on,' in that tone. Dan and I are friends now. I know that's hard to believe but things with Chuck were really tough and he's been there for me, more than I would ever have expected him to be. Surely you off all people can understand why I want to be around him just now."

"Look, you and I both know Dan has a massive white knight complex and I just don't want to see him taken advantage of. You're my best friend Blair but I know more than anyone what you're capable of."

"What I'm capable of! You've got to be kidding me Serena. Can you even hear yourself? Just because you took advantage of Dan without thinking twice doesn't mean I am. It's just that I've finally realised what a good guy he is and God knows I could do with some more people like that in my life."

"Either that or he's part of some elaborate plot to get back at Chuck. Did you sleep with him Blair?"

She feels like she's been slapped and tears sting at the back of her eyes. At that point the waiter arrives and, looking more than a little awkward, asks if he can take their order.

"I don't think I'll be staying. Let me know when you're ready to apologise Serena. If I remember rightly I'm not the one with the history of sleeping with other people's boyfriends."

She makes for the door with her head held high and is well out of sight of the restaurant before she lets the tears start to fall.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I was so excited about the number of reviews I got for the last chapter. Thank-you so much for all your kind words. You have no idea how much you encourage me. No Vanessa yet I'm afraid. I really thought I'd get to her but this story is taking on a life of its own. Next time she'll finally appear. Also I've got a horrible feeling you might hate me after this chapter. Trust me, I'll fix it. There's more good stuff to come. Anyway for those of you who were disappointed we didn't get Jenny's reaction last time, we're back in the loft. Gossip Girl is in italics by the way. I wasn't sure how else to indicate it. **

The door closes behind Blair and Dan takes a deep breath while Jenny studies him with a slight smirk on her face. He keeps repeating to himself that he's done nothing wrong because he can sense the judgement coming off his sister in waves.

"So Dan, what the hell? Vanessa's gone for less than a week and you've taken up with the biggest bitch on the Upper East Side. It's all over Gossip Girl. How Blair's getting over Chuck by getting under you."

"I've seen Gossip Girl Jenny but surely you off all people should understand that what appears on there shouldn't exactly be taken as gospel."

"Dan, there were pictures of Chuck punching you in the face. I'm assuming that was a direct result of the earlier pictures of you and Blair holding hands like a couple of 12 year olds 'going steady' for the first time."

"Blair and I are just friends. She's had a tough time of it. She needed to get out of the Upper East Side and she definitely needed to be around someone with no connections to Chuck. That limited her options a little. I'm not kidding myself. I was a last resort, but once we started spending time together it was kind of nice. She's got a different side to her. I just didn't see it before."

"Are you listening to yourself Dan? Spending time with Blair was _nice_. Blair Waldorf has many different sides but none of them are nice."

"Look Jenny, I know you and Blair have a less than pleasant history but what if I was to tell you she's different now, or at least trying to be different?"

"I'd say, get over yourself Dan. Look, as charming as it is that you like to see the best in people, Blair is not your friend. Trust me, I've been there. There was a time I thought she was my friend. That was a mistake I paid for deeply and so will you. Not to mention the fact that her and Chuck will be together forever. Can you honestly say, hand on heart, that you know this isn't just one of her schemes. How do you know she isn't just trying to make Chuck jealous so he'll come running back to her?"

"Has it crossed your mind that maybe this time she doesn't want Chuck to come running back to her? Maybe this time it's really over between them. Chuck already wants her back. Blair's the one who's had enough."

"Don't be so naive Dan. It will never be over between Blair and Chuck and right now you should be thinking about how you're going to explain this to Vanessa."

"I've thought a lot about that and I'm going to tell her the truth. Once I explain that Blair needed someone and that I was the only one she had I'm sure she'll understand. Vanessa and I always understand each other."

"You just keep telling yourself that Dan. Trust me with Vanessa and Blair's history; this is one thing she'll never understand. Don't come crying to me when this all blows up in your face. Anyway I can see there's no way you're going to listen to my friendly sisterly advice so I'm going to get some sleep. I was out for most of last night. Just think about it for yourself though. Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf are friends? If you say it enough even you'll realise it's ridiculous."

Dan sighs; he should have known that his sister would be less than enthusiastic about his new friendship and it's a relief when Jenny goes to her room and closes the door behind her. He settles down with some college work. He's let things slip more than a bit in the last couple of days because of Blair and he's falling behind.

He's been working steadily for quite some time when there's a knock at the door. He heads towards it with heavy steps. He really doesn't think he can take any more drama. When he sees who's on the other side though he doesn't know what to think.

"Nate, please tell me this isn't another intervention where you try and persuade me against my supposedly ill advised new friendship with Blair."

Nate grins, "Paranoid much? I take it you've been getting it in the neck?"

"You could say that." He steps back to allow Nate into the loft and heads to the fridge, "You want a drink?"

"Just water thanks."

He throws a bottle over that Nate catches easily. He takes one for himself and joins Nate on the couch.

"So seriously what do you want, because between the injuries Chuck so kindly bestowed upon me and the 'words of wisdom' I've just had to put up with from Jenny I've had more than enough of other people interfering in my life."

"Look Dan, I don't know anything about what's going on with your sister but I saw the Gossip Girl blasts and I just thought you could do with a friendly ear. Besides given what Chuck's done to Blair he's got a nerve to turn on anybody else."

"You know about that then? Look I know Chuck's your friend Nate but as far as I'm concerned, after what he did to Blair, he's the scum of the earth. I didn't think he could sink any further in my estimations but I was wrong"

Nate looks shocked, "What do you know about what Chuck did to Blair? It was pretty horrific and I'm finding it difficult to believe the Blair shared her deepest secrets with you Dan. No offence."

"You mean the fact that Chuck tried to whore his girlfriend out to his uncle to get his hotel back? Also that Blair seems to hate herself for the fact that she almost went along with it."

"OK maybe Blair does share her deepest secrets with you now. When the hell did that happen? Wait, you two are just friends right? Or is Gossip Girl right about you?"

"We're just friends Nate, though I never thought I'd use the word friend when referring to Blair Waldorf. It's the weirdest thing but I've spent the last couple of days with her and we actually got on quite well. Besides she really needed someone after what Chuck did. I watched her almost fall apart Nate. We've had our issues in the past but there's no way I could leave her to go through that on her own. I know it seems odd though and no-one seems to understand why we've been spending time together."

Nate smiles, "If that's the truth I'm really glad. I think you'll be great for Blair and I was really worried about her just shutting herself off from the world after what happened with Chuck. You're a good guy Dan so if you can keep an eye out for her just now I'd really appreciate it. I know I'm with Serena now but I'll always care about Blair."

"I really don't mind. I'm not sure how much I'll be needed anyway in the next few days. Blair was going to catch up with Serena and to be honest I think some female company could be just what she needs."

Nate looks concerned, "To be honest I'm not sure you're right about that. That's one of the other reasons I came over here. Going by the phone conversation I had with Serena her meeting with Blair didn't exactly go well. I've got a feeling my girlfriend was less than understanding about your new friendship with Blair. It seems they didn't even finish on speaking terms. I was hoping if you had been spending time with Blair you could give her a call and find out exactly what Serena did because she won't tell me the details and I don't want to see Blair hurt anymore just now."

Dan nods and picks up the phone, dialling Blair's number only to be greeted with a sobbing Blair on the other end of the phone.

He tries to calm her down, "What happened with Serena? I'm sure we can sort it out. Nate and I are worried about you."

"You think I'm worried about Serena right now? You're unbelievable Humphrey. I can't believe I trusted you. I hate you."

She cuts him off and he looks at Nate in amazement. "OK that was possibly the shortest friendship in history. I have no clue what happened but it would appear Blair hates me again."

"I think I know." Nate indicates a new Gossip Girl blast on his phone;

_Seems like Blair Waldorf was willing to give Jack Bass the ultimate gift to persuade him to relinquish his nephew's hotel. Really Blair, do you think Chuck will want anything to do with you now he's sharing you with his uncle as well as Dan Humphrey? _

"I swear Nate, that had nothing to do with me, but if it wasn't me and it wasn't you then how in the hell did Gossip Girl get a hold of that?"

At that moment Jenny emerges from her room and breezes past them on her way out the door, "Hi Nate, see you later Dan."

Dan looks at Nate in horror, "OK mystery solved. The doors in this place aren't exactly made of solid oak. I can't believe I was so stupid."

"Jenny really? Come on Dan."

"Look I know you've always had a soft spot for my sister but I know better than anyone what she's capable of. Now I just need to work out if I can possibly fix this."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is a longer chapter than usual. I apologise if it's too long but I had a lot I wanted to get through and I got a little carried away. Please let me know if you think it's too much and I'll stick to shorter chapters in future. As always I'd like to say a big thank-you to everyone who took the time to review last time around. I got some really nice compliments that I appreciated a lot. Now back to the story.**

Over the next 24 hours Dan bombards Blair with phone calls and text messages in a desperate attempt to explain what happened. He's pressed Nate into service in the vain hope that Blair might listen to him but she's completely vanished off the radar and won't answer any of Nate's calls either. He can't find her at home or at her dorm and seeing as right now she wants nothing to do with Chuck or Serena he's rapidly running out of ideas. Jenny also seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth and now he's a hundred percent sure that his suspicions about her involvement in the Gossip Girl blast were correct. She's clearly avoiding him.

There's a knock at the door as he tries to take a quick nap. His worry about Blair means that his sleep last night was practically non-existent. He answers it and there, in the doorway, is a quite clearly furious Vanessa. She places her hand in the centre of his chest and shoves him back into the loft and down onto the couch.

"OK Dan, you've got one chance to explain this. Quite frankly you're lucky I'm even giving you one chance. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to have a picture of your boyfriend with another girl appearing on phones across New York? Not just any girl either, but Blair Waldorf. You know how I feel about her Dan. What she's done to me. She's pure evil and you know it. She represents everything I hate, everything you're supposed to hate.

"Don't you think pure evil's a little strong? Things have changed in the last few days. To be honest I find it a bit hard to believe myself but I think Blair and I might be friends now."

"That's you're explanation? That you've suddenly become best friends with Blair Waldorf, the girl who you've always hated, and I'm just supposed to sit back and let it happen. There is no way Blair Waldorf just wants to be your friend Dan. This has to be part of some scheme because under normal circumstances she would want absolutely nothing to do with you. Besides the two of you looked seriously cosy for new friends from what I've seen in the pictures."

"You sound just like Jenny. She's different now. I can't really explain it to you but I just know. I trust her, and right now she needs me, so yes we're going to be friends but just friends Vanessa, I swear.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that? You're friends with a lot of people but I've never seen you holding hands with any of them on Gossip Girl. For God's sake Dan, Chuck punched you out."

"I'm asking you to trust me because I can't really fill you in on everything. I'd be sharing things that aren't mine to share. You know one of the things I love most about you is your compassion for other people. Just imagine suddenly finding yourself all alone Vanessa, because that's what's happened to Blair. Surely you can sympathise with that."

At that point his phone goes and a quick glance at the display show's that it's Nate. With a muttered apology to Vanessa he answers it, "Hey have you managed to track her down? I'm starting to get really worried and I need to be able to explain what happened. I need to know she's OK. She shouldn't be on her own just now."

Unfortunately Nate can do absolutely nothing to relieve his worry as he still hasn't been able to get Blair to even answer her phone. He sighs in frustration as he hangs up and glances towards Vanessa apologetically.

"Sorry about that. To be honest my friendship with Blair might be over before it ever really begins. I've screwed up and she's vanished. I've been trying to track her down since yesterday evening."

"That would explain why every time I tried to get through to you your phone was engaged. To me this seems like a golden opportunity though. You don't need Blair Waldorf complicating your life Dan. Just let it go. The two of you can just go back to the way things were before."

"I can't do that. I need to try and fix this. I'm assuming you saw the latest Gossip Girl blast about Blair and Jack. She thinks that was me and maybe indirectly it was my fault, but not in the way she thinks. I can't let her think I betrayed her like that."

"Who cares Dan? Seriously shouldn't you be trying to fix things with me first anyway? I'm sorry but I'm struggling to understand this whole thing. I've only been gone for a few days and feel like I've stepped into a different world. You're going to need to try a bit harder to get me on board with this. I'm not promising I ever will be. You're going to need to go into a few more details though and you're going to need to concentrate on me for now and forget about Blair. So no more phone calls about Blair, because I can't take anymore, not tonight.

He leans forward and kisses her, "You're right, I'm so sorry. It was unreasonable of me to expect you to just understand this. Why don't we go out and get something to eat? You can tell me about your trip and we'll talk about anything other than Blair Waldorf."

"Now that sounds like a plan I can get on board with. I missed you."

He smiles and pulls her into a hug, "I missed you too. Let's go."

They walk to a restaurant a couple of blocks down and every now and then he stops to kiss her. OK maybe he's over compensating a bit but he does have a lot to make up for. Really he should have spoken to Vanessa about this the first night that Blair came home with him. Expecting her to understand, just like that, was ridiculous.

They eat together while talking and laughing and he remembers why everything with Vanessa is so great. It's all so easy, they've been friends for so long and they understand each other perfectly. He's convinced he'll be able to talk her round about Blair too. Maybe the three of them can spend some time together and he can convince Vanessa she's really changed. Vanessa would be good for Blair after all, especially if what Nate suspects about Serena is true. Then he hears a sound and it's both his and Vanessa's phones going off in unison.

It's a Gossip Girl blast with a picture of Blair at what he recognises as one of the dorms on campus. There's a party going on there tonight but what the hell would Blair be doing at it? What worries him even more is the unfocussed expression on Blair's face and the guy wrapped around her. Something's wrong. Blair Waldorf does not hook up with random co-eds at dorm parties. He knows she wanted to get the whole college experience but this is ridiculous.

He looks up and realised Vanessa has the same message. She looks less than impressed. He opens his mouth to say something but she interrupts him, "This is not your problem Dan. You and I are on a date. We're on a date you suggested and you promised there would be no mention of Blair. So we are not even talking about this."

"Just let me call Nate then and get him to go and find her. She's not used to that scene Vanessa and I can't just leave her there."

"Fine call Nate and get him to go and rescue her but it's a college party Dan, not Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm sure she'll survive."

He tries Nate's number but curses when it doesn't even ring. His phone must be turned off. That's just fantastic.

"Look Vanessa I can't just leave her there. I promised myself I'd look out for her. Look it'll take 20 minutes at most. You can even come with me and we'll continue our date afterwards."

Vanessa sighs heavily and grabs his hand across the table, "I'm asking you not to go Dan. I've only been back a few hours and all you've done is talk about her. I don't care about Blair Waldorf's problems. I care about us."

"Vanessa I care about us too but you have to understand this. You know me, possibly better than anyone I've ever met. You have to accept that I could never abandon a friend like this."

"What you have to understand is that I can't go through this again. I watched you chasing Serena around like a lovesick puppy while I pined from the sidelines. This time I'm taking the initiative and I'm telling you that you have to choose me because I can't always be second best. I need you to choose me."

There are tears in her eyes and Dan cups her face gently, "It's not about who I'm choosing here. It's about the fact that I won't be able to live with myself if anything happens to her when I could have stopped it. I'm not choosing her over you Vanessa. I just need to make sure nothing bad happens to her because right now I'm the only person she's got. Surely you can understand that just for tonight I have to do that."

"And that's exactly the problem Dan. You always need to save everyone and I know it won't just be tonight. What about tomorrow when she's still upset with you and you're trying to talk her round? What about the next time Chuck shows up and she needs you to rescue her again. Right now I'm asking you to stay here with me and put me first because it has to stop somewhere and I'm stopping it now."

"Vanessa you can't be serious. You want me to prove how important you are to me by leaving Blair to some letch when I could so easily put a stop to it. It's like I don't even know you right now. We can talk about us tomorrow. I'm so sorry but right now I have to go."

"No we can't talk about us tomorrow because if you leave me to go to her now Dan then it's over."

In that split second he makes his decision and he can't believe what he's about to do as he gets to his feet.

"Then I guess it's over. I'm so sorry Vanessa."

He doesn't look back but he can feel the tears in his own eyes now as he leaves Vanessa behind him and hunts down a cab. Even he's wondering if there's something wrong with him because he just left the girl he thought he would be with forever to go and find someone who three days ago he wouldn't even have called his friend. Hell, right now she isn't even speaking to him. All he knows is he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.

He arrives at the dorm where tonight's party is taking place and there are people everywhere. After fifteen minutes of searching he finally tracks her down in a corner of someone's dorm room and there's that guy from the Gossip Girl blast with his hand up her skirt. Blair looks more than a little out of it and he wonders how much she's had to drink as he pushes his way through the crowd towards her. She still seems to be conscious but she looks in a far worse state than she was at Dorota's wedding. She's slumped against the guy and she stumbles a little as Dan drags him off her.

Blair's new 'friend' is less than impressed, "Hey, me and the girl were just having a little fun, two consenting adults and all that. Sorry if I'd known she was spoken for I'd have left her alone but she wasn't exactly objecting if you know what I mean."

Dan feels anger coursing through his body as this guy actually has the nerve to wink at him and make another grab for Blair. He shoves him to the ground and heads for the door, grabbing Blair's arm to drag her with him. At that moment though Blair doesn't seem to be moving anywhere and he can't tell whether that's because she doesn't want to go or because she's struggling to walk. He makes a split second decision and scoops Blair up into his arms because right now he really wants to get her out of here. She can object later if she wants. She seems stunned and all she does is wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his shoulder. As he battles towards the front door he sees several phones going off and knows that once again they're going to be plastered across the internet. How the hell did he get himself into this?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank-you again to all my reviewers and to those who added me to favourites and alerts after the last chapter. I hope this doesn't disappoint. I will get back to some other characters eventually but meanwhile I'm indulging myself with a chapter that is purely Dan and Blair. Please forgive me if it gets a little too fluffy at the end. Blair will toughen up again eventually, I promise.**

Dan has to do some extremely quick talking to get a cab to take them anywhere. Strangely a young guy carrying a semi-conscious girl isn't anyones first choice of fare. He really should have considered that. To begin with he was relieved that Blair wasn't struggling against him but now he's just worried that might be because she isn't really aware of who he is right now. By the time he persuades a cab driver he isn't a delinquent he's almost frantic. This is so much worse than the night of the wedding. She might have been an emotional mess but at least she was fully conscious and talking.

Getting her into the back of the cab is no easy task. After he manages that he cradles her in his lap and tries to rouse her with some shaking, then a couple of gentle slaps to the side of her face. He's just starting to think about redirecting the cab to the emergency room when she finally starts to come round. Then it clearly starts to dawn on her who she's with and he's presented with a whole new set of problems. Now she really is struggling and he starts to think that maybe she's even capable of diving out of the moving car and into the street. Clearly he is far from her first choice of company right now as she starts to mutter very Blair sounding phrases using words like 'betrayal' and 'Brooklyn loser'.

He grabs her arms firmly to stop her making a break for it, trying not to hurt her but determined to make her listen.

"Blair you have to understand me. At no point over the last few days have I betrayed you. We'll discuss it later but for right now I can guarantee you that so please believe me. You've made a mistake."

"Do you promise?" she whispers under her breath.

"Of course I promise," he answers. "You can trust me, I swear."

That must be enough because she stops struggling and is silent until they finally make it to the loft. He hasn't even asked her about going home. If she didn't want her family to see her last time he's pretty confident it isn't an option this time either. Besides what's one more night anyway? He has to admit it almost felt strange without her there last night. He knows his Dad won't be home because things finally seem to be looking up with Lily.

He pays the cab driver. (The last few days have cost him a fortune in cab fare.) Then he swings Blair up into his arms once more. She's far from heavy, despite the fact he's been lugging her around for half the night, and it seems much easier than trying to get her to make it on her own. At this point he's just desperate to get her inside so he can convince himself that she really is OK. He does need to put her down briefly while he gets the door unlocked and then he deposits her on the couch.

She hasn't said a word since asking him to promise he hadn't betrayed her but she's still awake and her eyes follow him as he moves around the kitchen getting her a glass and filling it with water. He keeps up a string of meaningless platitudes about how everything is going to be OK to try and break the silence. Then he sits down beside her and persuades her to drink because re-hydration definitely seems like a good idea. He quickly changes his mind as he sees her start to gag and the colour drains from her face. Clearly the water was the final straw. He half carries her to the bathroom and is right behind her holding her hair back as she empties what he thinks must be the entire contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.

He rubs her back as she reaches the dry-heaving stage, mentally adding this to the list of situations he never thought he would be in with Blair Waldorf.

"Are you done?" he asks gently and when she nods her head slightly he leaves her sitting on the floor with her back against the tub while he dampens a washcloth and fetches her some mouthwash, which she quickly uses.

"Do you want to go to bed and get some sleep?" he asks. "We can talk more in the morning."

She shakes her head, "I think I'm going to stay here for a while. I'm not sure I trust my stomach enough to go to sleep quite yet. You go to bed though. Can you get me a towel? I can just stretch out here."

"That's OK. I can stay. If you're up anyway maybe we can get a jump start on that chat. It'll help me sleep if I can explain to you properly what happened with Gossip Girl."

He spreads a couple of fluffy towels out on the bathroom floor and encourages her to lie down, while he sits against the tub with his legs straight out. Then he lets her use his lap as a pillow.

She lies on her side while he gently plays with her hair. He's relieved that she sounds a lot more like Blair as she says, "Out with it then Humphrey. I'm still waiting for your explanation. Persuade me you're devoid of blame here because only two people know about me and Jack; you and Nate. It wasn't Nate was it?"

"It wasn't me or Nate but I still feel sort of responsible." He pauses and takes a deep breath before he begins, "Nate turned up here yesterday. I think he wanted to check that my intentions were honourable." He relaxes a little as she laughs slightly at that. "Anyway we got to talking and I totally forgot Jenny was in the next room. I'm almost certain it was her that tipped off Gossip Girl. It's the only logical explanation. I'm so sorry Blair."

"Humphrey come on, I think I can forgive you for that. After all you had to watch me throw-up tonight. Besides I suppose I should have given you a chance to explain. God knows your Boy Scout morals may have annoyed me in the past but I can honestly say you can usually be relied on to be pretty trustworthy. Most of the time at least. I guess I'm just not used to that."

He breathes a sigh of relief, "Now it's your turn. Tell me how Blair Waldorf ended up alone at a party in an NYU dorm."

"It'll sound really pathetic," she says quietly.

"Blair, as you pointed out a minute ago; I just held your hair while you threw up. I think we're way past pathetic don't you?"

She turns on her back and shoots him a dirty look, "Can we never speak of that to anyone else?"

He grins, "I think we can probably negotiate that but for now do you want to explain what was going on tonight."

She turns back onto her side, and he reckons she's probably trying to avoid eye contact while she explains, "If you must know Humphrey, I wanted to prove to myself that I could go through with my plans to fit in at NYU, even without you."

"You certainly went at it full throttle didn't you? For once we've got Gossip Girl to thank. I would never have found you otherwise. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I saw the picture of you with that guy?" He frowns as he thinks about the pure panic he felt as he tried to locate her in the busy dorm.

She reaches up and briefly entangles her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze before she pulls hers away again.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. It sounds like a ridiculous college stereotype but too be honest the last thing I remember clearly is that there was a lot of beer. I'm not really a big drinker. You've seen how it affects me, and spending a lot of time with Serena growing up kind of put me off, but it felt good to let go for once. To not be uptight Blair Waldorf who never knows how to have any fun."

"I do understand but maybe next time you could dial it down just a notch." He catches himself, "Sorry now I sound like your Dad."

She smiles, "It's OK, I think considering you were the one who had to pull me out of there you can be forgiven for sounding a little preachy. Besides it's kind of nice to have someone looking out for me. For years it was always me looking out for everybody else."

He thinks about that and realises it's true. Serena, Chuck, even Nate, from what he understands none of them were exactly the poster children for responsibility growing up. He supposes a lot of that responsibility probably did fall on Blair's shoulders and ever since he's known her she's seemed older than her years.

"OK then Waldorf, this weekend we'll do something fun," he says. "Think of something you liked to do when you were a kid, before all the scheming and the Upper East Side politics."

"I'll need to think back a long way," she answers.

"I'm pretty confident you can think of something. I refuse to believe you started planning world domination in elementary school."

She smiles slightly, "OK this weekend then, you and me Humphrey, it's a date."

Her breathing starts to slow and her eyelids are drooping so he shakes her shoulder gently before she falls asleep, "Come on Blair, sleeping on the bathroom floor might seem like a good idea but you'll regret it in the morning."

She snuggles further into his lap, "I'm too tired to move now and it's comfortable here."

"It's not comfortable for me," he replies. "This floor is cold."

"You could always carry me," she says persuasively. "You seem to have gotten pretty good at that."

"Your legs do work you know Blair," he answers, but he immediately caves in as she gives him her sad eyes and he wonders exactly when Blair Waldorf wrapped him round her little finger. He sweeps her up into his arms for one final time that night and they head to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** **I've got the day off today which is ideal because I wanted to get one more chapter out before the finale. Can I ask a quick favour? The finale doesn't air here in the UK till Wednesday. Can you please not include any spoilers if you are reviewing? I'm not saying I'll be able to remain spoiler free but I'm going to give it my best shot. As always I am so grateful for all the comments I received on the last chapter and I'd love to hear what you think about this one. Also a quick shout-out to the reviewer called Olivia who mentioned jeans several chapters back. You weren't signed in so I couldn't thank you personally but you planted the idea in my head for the mention of jeans in this chapter. Finally my internet explorer kept crashing when I was replying to reviewers after the last chapter so if anybody didn't get my reply I apologise. Now back to the story.**

Blair spends the rest of the week trying to stay as far out of the public eye as possible. There's no denying that a lot of that time is spent with Dan Humphrey. They've been almost constantly together on campus talking and studying. As expected Gossip Girl had a field day because of Dan turning up to rescue her. Blair still smiles when she thinks of the situation being described as, 'lonely boy rushing to save his damsel in distress.' She isn't exactly keen on being cast in the role of damsel but on this occasion she supposes she kind of deserves it. She has to admit that things could have turned out very differently if Dan hadn't appeared when he did.

Unfortunately it led to a situation where she and Dan now feel a little under siege. There has been almost constant harassment for explanations from Chuck, Serena and Jenny. Both she and Dan are now spending large parts of the day with their phones completely turned off. She knows it's cowardly to avoid any confrontation but she's enjoying spending time with Dan and she doesn't need the additional drama.

Now Saturday has rolled around and she is a little ashamed of how excited she is about how she and Dan will be spending the day. She's asked him to meet her in Central Park and has even donned jeans for the occasion because it seemed appropriate. Jeans were never a part of her childhood but there is a tiny, hidden part of her than wishes they had been. She's always loved the pretty clothes she has owned all of her life but it can be a little hard to have fun when you're constantly worried about getting into a mess. She knows her mother would be horrified if she could see her now.

She sees Dan approaching and laughs as he looks at what she is holding with more than a little suspicion. When she thought back to her childhood there weren't really that many things she could remember doing that were purely for fun but this was one of them. It brings back memories of spending time with her father before everything changed. In winter she loved to ice-skate but in summer roller skating was almost as much fun. She hands Dan the pair of boots she brought for him and he looks at them as if they might bite him.

"Seriously Blair, I'm terrible at this. I have no co-ordination. I think there's a good reason why you don't see as many people skating as you used to. Do you want me to meet my end in a horrible, bloody, skating accident?"

"Maybe you were terrible at it once but you obviously just didn't have the right teacher. With me sharing my expertise I promise you it will be different. Besides you promised me a fun day. This is what I chose." She pouts at him quickly and knows she's won.

"Fine but you're coming with me to the hospital if this ends badly."

Minutes later he's laced up his boots and the two of them are making their way, extremely slowly, around the park. Dan is clutching her arm like a drowning man as he shuffles along and she is trying desperately not to laugh.

"This is ludicrous, you need to relax a little if you have any chance of doing this," she tries to persuade him. "Here, watch how I do it." She skates a little ahead of him, executes a neat turn and heads back towards him. "Now you try."

He skates a few paces nervously ahead, and then hits a small bump which causes him to lose his balance. He's on the ground before she can catch him.

"See I told you, no skating skills whatsoever," he says as he rubs at his elbow that made contact with the ground first.

"You're so quick to give up. I promise you by the end of today you'll be able to skate, at least a little."

He looks doubtful but allows her to help him up. She takes both of his hands this time as she skates backwards and pulls him along. She tries to ignore the group of children pointing and laughing from the sidelines and moves beside him once more only to have him clutch desperately at her arm again.

"You're cutting off my circulation Humphrey," she scolds as she removes his hand from her arm and laces their fingers together instead, struck with the irony of how much like a couple they must look just now. Fortunately this part of the park seems fairly quiet just now and she has yet to see a cell phone pointed in their direction.

Over an hour later her tuition has paid off and, although Dan is still lacking in more than a little style, he can at least stay upright and propel himself forward without clutching her hand. She's also laughed more than she has in weeks. She has to admit he was good at not taking offence as she giggled at his misfortune. The funniest thing of all though was the look of triumph on his face when he finally managed to skate successfully along. It was very much like a 7 year old boy who's had the training wheels removed from his bike for the first time and she had to choke down her mirth when he looked genuinely offended at his achievement being belittled in such a fashion.

Now she's left him sitting on a bench while she skates off to get them some drinks. He's persuaded her that he's in dire need of a break. She turns the corner and to her horror almost skates straight into Jenny Humphrey. What a great way for the universe to ruin her day.

She turns to leave but Jenny grabs at her, "I think you and I need to talk, don't you Blair? Can you explain what the hell you're doing with my brother?"

"I think you'll find that it's got nothing to do with you but if you must know, we're friends. We enjoying spending time together and I don't see why that should bother you." Even to her that argument sounds a little weak and she isn't surprised when Jenny seems unconvinced.

"You've got to be kidding me Blair. How can you not see why that would bother me? You may have my brother fooled, and I can't convince him of your real intentions, but you don't fool me. Dan likes to see the best in people but I prefer to look for the truth. There is no way this can make you happy. Roller-skating in the park with Dan Humphrey? Seriously Blair, you're trying to tell me that this is your life now. "

"I still fail to see how any of this is your business," Blair answers stiffly, trying to inject every ounce of Waldorf iciness into her tone. "I'm the first to admit this isn't a situation I would have predicted a few weeks ago but I enjoy spending time with your brother. It makes me happy and I don't hear him complaining either. He's more than capable of making his own decisions without any input from his little sister."

"The whole situation is ridiculous," Jenny splutters. "You two have always hated each other and now you expect me to just accept that you're the best of friends. Chuck will come running back to you and by then my brother will have given you his whole heart, because that's the kind of person he is, and you'll destroy him.

"For God's sake Jenny, don't you think you're over-doing the drama a little here? Everyone seems to think I have some sort of elaborate scheme to draw Dan into my web. You need to get something through your head. I'm not out to 'destroy' your brother and he certainly isn't part of some plan to get to Chuck. The truth is I don't want Chuck back. I'm done with him and I'm moving on."

Jenny looks at her in disgust, "You say that now but give it a few weeks and you'll miss the drama and the passion and everything you had with Chuck. I know you Blair. We might not like each other but we're more alike than either of us would like to admit. There is no way that Dan can make you happy."

"But that's just the point. It's not about Dan making me happy. It's about me making myself happy." She can't believe she's being this open with Jenny Humphrey of all people but to be honest the whole conversation is forcing her to put into words what's been going round in her head for days. It's the same thing she tried to explain to Serena. She takes a deep breath and continues, "Being around Dan just makes it easier because he actually accepts me as I am with no other expectations. We're just two friends spending time together."

"OK let's say I accept that you and my brother are friends and I agree to support that. Will you promise me one thing? It's just friends. I can just about stomach that I suppose but anything else is just a step too far. Promise me that and I won't cause you anymore trouble."

"Why should I promise you anything of the kind? First of all why should I care whether you support my friendship with your brother or not? You are of no consequence to me." She is almost spitting with rage. "I think you'll find that your brother would be disgusted if he even knew you were having this conversation with me. Why don't we agree on this instead? I leave now and I pretend this never happened. You don't follow me and you keep out of my friendship with your brother. You keep bothering me and I make sure Dan finds out you're trying to manipulate his life. I think we both know how he'd feel about that."

With that parting shot Blair leaves Jenny standing alone. Right now she really wishes she wasn't wearing roller-boots. Skating away definitely lacks the dramatic flair of her usual strut and right now she could do with a really dramatic exit to emphasise her point. She is done with people interfering in her life. What nags at her the whole time she is buying drinks and making her way back to Dan is her reluctance to promise Jenny that there will be nothing besides friendship between the two of them. She finally dismisses it as merely her determination that the younger Humphrey has no right to set her any kind of ultimatum. She had to make sure that Jenny was completely sure who was controlling the situation and if her heart flutters a little in her chest when she sees Dan sitting waiting for her then that's just relief that Jenny isn't with him and has obviously taken her words to heart.

He smiles as she approaches, "Finally, I thought you'd abandoned me here to my fate, too embarrassed to be seen with me and my limited skating skills any longer."

She returns his smile and sits down beside him, "Dan come on, if I let everything that's embarrassing about you bother me then we wouldn't be able to spend any time together at all."

He gently nudges her shoulder, "It's Dan now is it? I was starting to wonder if maybe you'd forgotten my first name and were too embarrassed to ask."

She flushes when she realises her slip. He's been Dan in her head for so long now and she's even been referring to him as Dan to other people. It was bound to come out sooner or later. She's ashamed of herself though because she sounds almost shy when she replies, "I can go back to Humphrey if you'd like."

Her heart does that fluttery thing again when he smiles at her once more and says, "Don't you dare. To be honest the Humphrey thing was getting more than a little weird."

She slaps him lightly on the arm, "Hey, I prefer to think of it as an adorable nickname."

"Nice try," he replies, "but there is no way I am ever going to believe you intended it as an adorable nickname."

"Ok maybe not, but I think we can agree on first names from now on." She leans against him gently and they finish their drinks in comfortable silence.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I seem to have scared away most of my reviewers. I'm so sorry if my comment about trying to remain spoiler free meant people didn't want to review. I also apologise if the last chapter was really bad and you didn't want to hurt my feelings by telling me. Hopefully this one is a bit better. Having said that I've now watched the finale and I'm not sure anybody will be interested in my fluffy little story after all that drama. Anyway I'll stop with the chat now. Back to the story.**

The semester has come to an end and Dan is finding it hard to believe that he can now count Blair Waldorf as one of his best friends. They've spent a huge amount of time together. He admits that this is at least partially because Blair's options are currently a little limited. She's still barely speaking to Serena, the least said about Chuck the better, and although she's made a few friends in college they're far from close. He also knows however that she does genuinely enjoy spending time with him. Her smiles when they're together are evidence of that. The feeling is mutual. He could never have guessed that they would have so much in common.

Despite all of this he knows that she misses Serena. She never says as much but the expression on her face whenever the blond comes up in conversation says it all. Unfortunately her current lack of a close girlfriend has also led to the situation he now finds himself in. Fairly recently Dan would have bet a fairly large amount against him ever helping Blair Waldorf choose an outfit for a date but now here he is. He's been sitting on Blair's bed for near on two hours while she models outfit after outfit for him. He's been holding out for an outfit she looks terrible in but this has yet to happen. He is far from keen on the guy she's going out with tonight, despite having only met him once, and feels that sending Blair out in a hideous outfit will at least go slightly towards judging whether he is only after one thing. He's a friend of Nate's from Columbia. Nate has assured him that he's a good guy and that there's no way he would set Blair up with a jerk but Dan wants to be sure. He doesn't want Blair to be hurt again. Unfortunately his plan has been foiled by the fact that Blair would look good in a sack so there is no way she is going to look anything but gorgeous when she goes out with this guy.

She appears again, this time wearing the greatest outfit yet, and he feels his heart-rate speed up slightly. The figure-hugging deep red dress looks amazing on her but it's far too short. There is no way she is going anywhere with Dave from Columbia wearing that. "Sorry I'm not sure about that one either Blair, we'll just need to keep looking."

She frowns at herself in the mirror and he feels terrible when she answers, "You're right, it makes me look fat. I'm sure I can find something better but I'm going to be late soon."

She is looking at herself in the mirror with such disappointment and he kicks himself before getting up and hugging her from behind. "I'm sorry Blair, you look absolutely amazing. Ignore me; I'm just getting bad-tempered from all the girliness. This one's definitely a keeper. You'll blow him away."

Her face lights up and she turns round and kisses him lightly on the cheek. "Every girl should have a guy like you around to boost her ego once in a while. You're sure this is the one? You aren't just saying that so I'll stop making you look at outfits."

"Blair this is the one. If he doesn't like it then he isn't a guy. While we're talking about this are you sure you want to go out with this Dave tonight? What do you really know about him?"

"Relax Dan, I need to try this sometime and Nate swears he's a great guy. If it doesn't work out then it doesn't matter. I'm not exactly looking for the next great love of my life right now anyway."

"Fine but be careful OK. Nate's a great friend but I'm not that convinced he's a great judge of character. He is best friends with Chuck after all."

"You just need to stop worrying and go and have a good time with Nate. Do some manly things and get over all the 'girliness' I've forced on you. We're still on for tomorrow though right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Her Dad is flying in tonight and he's actually kind of honoured that she's so desperate for him to meet him. Eleanor and Cyrus are out of the country and she's been so excited for the last week because he's coming to visit her alone. Despite the fact she's finally made her peace with his partner she's still looking forward to getting her father all to herself, so it means a lot that she wants to give up some of that father-daughter time.

"Good, I've told him so much about you and everything you've done for me and he really wants to meet you. Now go meet Nate. I'm setting you free. I'm sure the last thing you want to do is sit here while I do my hair and make-up." She gives him a quick shove towards the door.

He laughs, "I get the message. My usefulness here is over. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care."

One quick subway ride later and he arrives at the bar where he arranged to meet Nate. He sees him sitting at a table with a beer ready for him.

"So Blair finally let you off the leash then? Is that you finished being her personal fashion advisor?"

"Hey if you'd done a better job at talking your girlfriend into making up with her then I wouldn't have had to go through that. Do you have any idea of the torture of watching her try on countless fantastic outfits only so she can go out with Dave?" He hears the disgust with which he says the other guy's name and regrets it immediately when Nate raises his eyebrows.

"What's your problem with Dave? You barely even know the guy but you've been down on him ever since I mentioned setting him up with Blair. He's perfect for her."

"I just want to make sure he's on the level. How much to you really know about him? You only met him a few months ago."

"You're sure that's it Dan? It's not got anything to do with your own feelings for Blair? You have been spending a lot of time together after all."

"Come on Nate. Blair and I are friends. I'm looking out for her. That's what friends do."

"Dan, Blair and Serena were friends for years and I can't imagine Serena getting so wound up about Blair going on one simple date. You're jealous. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey, who could have predicted that?"

"You're full of it Nate. I'll be back in a minute. Why don't you take that time and think about how ridiculous that last statement sounds."

Dan excuses himself and heads to the bathroom but it's really only an excuse to get away from Nate so he can mull over what he just said. He certainly isn't going to admit it to Nate but he thinks his friend might be right. He is jealous of Dave. It's only natural though. He and Blair have been spending so much time together and he's gotten used to having her all to himself. If she likes this Dave everything will change but it doesn't mean he wants to date her himself. It just means he doesn't want Dave to either. God, even to him that sounds pathetic. What right does he have to dictate who Blair Waldorf goes out with? By the time he gets back to Nate he's worked it all out in his head. He can admit that he's jealous but it's because he doesn't want to lose Blair's friendship. Anything else is just ludicrous. He explains all this to Nate who is less than convinced.

"Whatever you say, if you claim you don't want Blair for yourself I'll go along with that for now but it doesn't mean I believe you. Come on let's go find you someone to take your mind off it."

A couple of hours later and he's in a club trying to talk to some girl over the music. This is far from his scene and he can't believe he let Nate talk him into it. It was really only to get him to shut-up about Blair. The girl he's talking to is curvy and blond and, he has to admit, attractive in a conventional way but they seem to have nothing to say to each other. It's almost a relief when he notices his phone is ringing. A glance at the caller ID tells him it's Blair.

"Bored with Dave already?" he quips.

He regrets his flippant tone when she answers, "Dan where are you? I need you. It's my Dad." She sounds panicked and almost short of breath

"Calm down, where are you?"

Before she has even finished giving him the address, he's found Nate and the two of them are heading for the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here we are again. Thank-you so much to all the people who took the time to let me know you are still enjoying the story. I haven't had a great week and you really cheered me up. I hope you enjoy this chapter too and as always I'd love to hear what you think. We're still with Dan and Nate to begin with. On a side note I was really annoyed with how they ended things with Nate in the finale. (One of several things I wasn't happy with.) It seemed really out of character so I'm enjoying writing nice guy Nate in this. Anyway rant over and on with the story.**

"So you didn't even think to ask what was wrong." Nate says in accusatory tones.

They'd found a cab almost immediately and are on the way to the hospital. Unfortunately Nate is less than impressed with how Dan is handling the situation and Dan has to admit it's a fairly poor show that the address of the hospital is really the only useful information he got from Blair.

"No I don't know anything else OK, she just said she needed me and it was her Dad. I panicked but I'm regretting it now if that makes you feel any better. She isn't answering her phone and....." Dan tales off as he realises he's shouting at Nate and that taking out his frustrations on his friend isn't achieving anything. "Look I'm sorry, I know you're worried too but I'm freaking out here and why is this cab taking so long?"

"Because we've got to get to the other side of the city," Nate replies. "Look this mini meltdown you're having here isn't helping anyone. You're going to be no use at all if by the time we get to Blair you're in a worse state than she is. You need to calm the hell down."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's pathetic but I think it's the amount of time it's taking to get there. She sounded so upset on the phone and I feel completely useless."

"Then let's take both our minds off it." Nate smiles slyly as he continues, "Because I'm sorry but this whole 'Blair and I are just friends' thing you've got going on here isn't flying with me at all and this seems like the ideal opportunity for you to tell me what's actually going on. Let's face it this time you aren't going anywhere. So talk to me."

Dan sighs and gives in. Nate does have him cornered this time. "Look I swear to you I thought we were just friends but I won't deny that you did get me thinking about it and maybe I was kidding myself a bit. This conversation stays between you and me right? I'm sounding like a total girl here."

"Do you want to pinky swear?" Nate says mockingly and holds up his finger.

"Very funny but you can shut up now. Obviously you know Blair and I have been spending a lot of time together. How well we're getting on has been a real shock. Don't get me wrong, we don't agree on everything but even when we argue, weird as it sounds, it's almost kind of fun. I always enjoyed arguing with her anyway but now that we're friends it's like it's lost the nasty edge it used to have. With the exception of Vanessa I don't think I've ever been this comfortable with anyone. I guess that's part of what made me convince myself we'll only ever be friends because, when I think back to what I had with Serena, it was nothing like that. With Serena it was exciting and I felt like I was on a constant roller-coaster but ultimately I'm not sure it could ever have worked. We just didn't have enough in common. Excitement and attraction alone just weren't enough to hold us together and to be honest the two of you seem much better suited. Sometimes I wonder if my whole relationship with Vanessa was just a reaction to that."

Nate looks confused, "I'm not sure I follow you."

"Well Vanessa and I have everything in common and what I had with her was almost the complete opposite of what I had with Serena. Now I think that maybe it's possible to be too similar. It means you're missing a certain something. It's great to have things in common but if you agree on everything all of the time then where's the spark? Being with Vanessa was so much easier than being with Serena but maybe it was just too easy. Ultimately I think it would have been better if we had just stayed friends because now I'm not sure we can ever get that back."

"And being with Blair?" Nate asks.

"I'm not with Blair."

"Hypothetically then," Nate insists.

"OK it is possible that being with Blair could fall perfectly in the middle of the two extremes but I can't know that for certain."

"At least admit you're attracted to her then. After all you could hardly talk about her date tonight without spitting in disgust."

"Fine I admit it. She's gorgeous and I love being with her and when I thought of her being with someone else it was killing me. Are you happy now? When it comes down to it though I'm just not sure it's worth the risk of doing anything about it. It sounds conceited but Blair needs me right now. We've become such close friends and she doesn't have that many people in her life. You know that. What if I try to move things to another level with her and she isn't interested? What if we get together briefly and then break up? It'll destroy our friendship just like I ruined my friendship with Vanessa."

"I do know where you're coming from and it would be a gamble but think about something else. She isn't going to remain single forever and isn't it going to destroy your friendship anyway if you're seething with jealousy every time she's with someone else? At least I distracted you though. We're at the hospital."

Dan breathes a sigh of relief. The heart to heart was getting a little much and at least now he can be with Blair. He'll work on his own feelings later.

He asks for directions at the desk and a nurse points them in the right direction. He's almost running now in his haste to get to her with Nate not far behind.

He turns the corner and his eyes are immediately drawn to Blair sitting alone on a chair against the wall. Her face is pale and tear-stained and she looks so small and lost sitting there by herself. A doctor rushes past but doesn't bother with her. She looks up and sees them and suddenly Dan's arms are full of the tiny brunette. He wraps himself around her and she buries her head in his chest as she begins to sob once more.

His first thought is to try and calm her down. "Hey, hey now, I'm here, it's OK". He mumbles soothing words into her hair. He can feel her tears soaking his shirt and she's shaking slightly so he holds her tightly for several minutes until with a final shuddering breath she stops crying. She seems absolutely determined to hold onto him however so when he guide her back towards the chairs to sit down it isn't a massive surprise to find her sitting in his lap holding onto his hand like a lifeline. Nate raises his eyebrows at the familiarity and Dan frowns back. Now is not the time but fortunately Blair doesn't seem to have noticed.

"So why don't you tell us what happened?" he asks her. "Start at the beginning."

She takes a deep breath then starts to explain. "Dave took me out to dinner and we were having a really nice time. It was good to have a fun, easy date for once without all the drama. Then my phone rang. They told me Daddy had had a heart-attack just before his plane landed. They were rushing him straight here in an ambulance and they wanted me to meet him here. By the time I got here they told me they were already working on him, whatever that means. All they've told me so far is that he fell unconscious in the ambulance on the way here and that they're doing everything they can for him. Now no-one will tell me anything else and they won't let me see him. I'm so scared and I was all alone. My Mom and Cyrus are still away and I can't stress Dorota with this so I didn't know who else to call."

"Blair you can always call me," Dan says reassuringly. "You never need to worry about that, Nate too."

"You know you can," Nate jumps in quickly. "What happened to Dave by the way?"

"He drove me here but then he took off. I can't really blame him. It's a lot of drama for a first date."

"Nice," Dan's seething. "He didn't even wait for us to get here? I knew there was something I didn't like about him. Good choice Nate."

"Hey don't blame me. He seemed like a good guy. Even Blair thought so."

"Well maybe you should vet any future candidates a bit more closely," Dan answers darkly.

"Look it doesn't matter right now," Blair interjects. "I only care about my Dad. I need to find out what's happening and if he's going to be OK but every time I ask anybody they just brush me off."

"Do you want me to try and find something out?" Dan asks and tries to get up but Blair's hold on him just tightens.

Nate buts in, "Don't worry, I'll go. I'll be back as soon as I can." He takes off down the corridor and leaves Blair and Dan alone.

Blair still won't let go of his hand and Dan looks at her with concern. "Are you doing any better?"

"I'm not sure," she answers. "I'm glad you're here and at least I'm not crying right now. I'll be better as soon as someone can tell me he'll be alright. Dan what if he isn't? He was so ashamed of me because of everything that happened with Yale. I wanted to show him that I was a better person now and make him proud of me again. What if I never get the chance?"

"Blair I'm sure he's already proud of you but try not to think like that. There's no point in expecting the worst till you know for sure what's going on. It could be a while before we know anything for sure and you'll drive yourself crazy."

"You will stay won't you?" Blair pleads. "I know it's a big ask and I know you've probably got plans but I don't want to leave Daddy right now and I was so lonely before you got here and..."

"Blair relax," he interrupts. "Of course I'll stay, you know I will."

She gives him a watery smile and turns round to hug him once more. She sighs lightly as he rests his chin on the top of her head and he feels his heart speed up at the contact. He is so screwed.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm worried that this chapter might be a little dull in places. It is necessary to the plot though and I've tried to make it as interesting as I can. I also apologise for any medical inaccuracies. I work in an office and have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to medicine. It's all from the internet. Next chapter I promise there will be a chance to find out more about what Blair feels for Dan. I know I've examined Dan's feelings a lot more closely so far. Also Serena will be back. I'd like to say thank-you again to everybody who took the time to review. You make me very happy.**

As the doctor approaches with Nate Blair feels the tears start to prick the back of her eyes once more. Although she's been longing for news she's terrified that that the news will be bad. That would certainly explain the long wait. She gets to her feet but holds onto Dan's hand even more tightly.

"I finally tracked the doctor down," says Nate. "Apparently everyone here is too busy to deal with worried relatives." Nate is far from subtle in showing his disgust with how Blair has been treated and the doctor frowns before he replies.

"I'm so sorry Ms Waldorf but I can assure you that, as I have already explained to this young man, our time was taken up with caring for your father." He glares at Nate who has the decency to look a little ashamed.

"It's fine," Blair snaps. "Can you please just tell me what's going on now that you're here? I'm going crazy here not knowing anything." Blair can hear her voice getting higher and more panicked and the tears are increasingly close to the surface. Dan has obviously picked up on her distress as she feels his arm encircle her waist from behind. She leans into him slightly and tries to calm herself down as the doctor starts to explain.

"Before I start let me say there is a good chance that your father will make a full recovery. However you should be aware of the fact that he is still at some risk. He had a massive heart attack and there appears to be some fairly serious narrowing of his arteries. We're going to have to carry out heart bypass surgery and it will be done tonight. "

After the doctor mentions the surgery Blair starts to run through all sorts of terrifying scenarios in her head and is only vaguely aware of Dan and Nate asking questions about how the operation is carried out and how long it's likely to take. At least they'll be able to explain it to her later because right now she feels under ridiculous pressure and she doesn't want to have to ask the doctor to explain again. Further discussion will only keep him away from her Dad for longer so when he asks her directly if she has any questions all she asks is, "Is he going to die?" Right now that's the only question she can think of anyway because the thought of losing her Dad is pushing everything else out of her head.

The doctor looks her right in the eye as he replies, "I won't lie to you. That is always a risk with any surgery but we have an amazing team here and the chances are that he'll come through the operation very well. Right now though your father is awake so would you like to see him quickly before we take him down for surgery?"

Blair nods eagerly and starts to follow the doctor, dragging Dan behind her by the hand but the doctor stops her, "Family only right now I'm afraid. Your friends will need to wait here."

She feels herself panic slightly at the thought of being on her own again but Dan is quick to reassure her. "We'll wait right here OK. You'll be fine. I know you can do this."

"You're right; Waldorf women are a force to be reckoned with." She pulls herself together and gives herself a pep talk as she follows the doctor down the corridor. However all of her bravado leaves her as she sees her father lying in his hospital bed. He's hooked up to several machines and that only adds to her worry but he attempts a smile as she approaches and his fingers tighten around hers ever so slightly as she takes his hand.

She desperately tries to keep her tears at bay but a few escape and she brushes them hastily away. She can't let herself upset him more than she already has but he looks so different to the way she's used to seeing him, always so full of life and rushing around.

When he speaks though he sounds like his old self. "I'm so sorry I worried you Blair. I'll be fine. I know I will."

She sniffs slightly. "I know you will too Daddy. You don't have any choice. I've got so much to tell you. I want you to be proud of me again. I'm so sorry for disappointing you."

He smiles slightly before he replies. "Blair you have to know that I'm already proud of you. You swallowed your pride and went to NYU. I know how hard it must have been when you had always dreamed about Yale. You're carving out a whole new life for yourself. You're my strong, independent daughter and I will always be proud of you."

She impulsively hugs him and then pulls away quickly, "Sorry, did I hurt you Daddy?"

"I'm fine," he insists. "Try not to worry too much. They do this surgery all the time. It's practically routine. Are you going to be alright on your own though? I know Eleanor and Cyrus are away."

"You don't have to be worried about me. It's like you said, I can be strong. Besides I'm not on my own. Nate's here and so is Dan. Dan's promised he'll stay."

Her Dad smiles again. "Well I'm glad you're not on your own but I'll need to speak to this Dan soon. Make sure he can be trusted with my daughter."

A nurse appears before Blair can protest that Dan is just her friend and announces that it's time to go. Blair squeezes her father's hand one more time and says softly, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Blair."

She manages a smile and rushes from the room before the tears start to fall once more. By the time she makes it back to where Dan and Nate are waiting she's a basket case once again and she's ashamed of herself. So much for being strong and independent, she can't keep it together for more than 10 minutes.

Dan wraps her in a hug once more but this time she's much quicker to pull herself together. She knows she can do this so she takes a deep breath and pulls away from him. "Did either of you two ask how long this is likely to take? I was losing it a little while the doctor was speaking. I know I hid it well," she adds sarcastically.

Dan smiles, "I'd never have guessed. The doctor said anything up to 4 hours. They won't really know till they see exactly what they're faced with."

"Do you want to go home, maybe have a shower or get a change of clothes?" Nate adds.

"I'm not going anywhere," she says determinedly. "What if something goes wrong? I need to be here. You go though Nate. There's no point in all three of us being here. Dan will stay. Won't you Dan?"

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere. How could I pass up the chance to spend the night on one of these hard plastic chairs?" he says with a grin. She feels the sense of reassurance that these days only comes from being near him and breathes a sigh of relief.

"I'm so hurt," jokes Nate. "I've been replaced."

"Be quiet, you know no-one can ever replace you," replies Blair as she leans in and pecks him on the cheek. "Honestly though, there's no point in us all getting no sleep. I'll be fine." She gives him a shove towards the door. "Now go"

"Fine I know when I'm not wanted," Nate pouts dramatically. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that he's gone and Blair and Dan are left alone once more.

Dan turns to her and says, "We should at least go to the cafeteria for a while. You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry." Right now the thought of food makes her feel physically ill.

"Well think about me then. I'm starving. At least come with me."

She sighs, "Fine Humphrey, always thinking of your stomach. Let's go."

After 5 minutes they manage to track down the cafeteria and Dan gets himself some food. She still refuses to buy herself anything despite his coxing and she's glad when she manages to distract him by asking about his night out with Nate. Besides she needs some mindless chat to try and take her mind of her Dad's surgery.

"So did you meet anybody interesting tonight?" she probes.

"Well there was this one girl who seemed to be impressed with the Humphrey charm."

"Well I need to meet her then. Make sure she's good enough for you."

"It won't be happening Blair. I got your call before I managed to get her number."

"That's a shame." Blair is impressed with how sincere she sounds when she says that.

"Not really," Dan answers. "It was a boost to my ego but she wasn't really my type. All tits and teeth."

"Dan Humphrey!" She hits him on the arm. "What kind of phrase is that for a budding writer? You're supposed to be poetic." She's smiling now though and feels more relaxed than she has since she got the call about her Dad. Dan pushes his plate towards her and she starts to nibble at his food while they continue to chat. Before she knows it she's finished half the plate.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank-you again to all my reviewers, especially those who review regularly. At this point I'd also like to say a special thank-you to all of you who primarily ship Chuck/Blair but are still giving my story a chance. I'm really hoping that as I begin to move things on through the next few chapters I don't put you off. I love Chuck as a character and they used to be my second favourite pairing but I really think that all he's done for Blair recently is make her miserable. If they can manage to redeem him a little on the show then maybe I'll be able to get back on board with the relationship but for now I'm really struggling with it. Anyway as promised Serena is back this chapter and we get to see a little bit more of what is going on in Blair's head.**

Once they finish eating, they head back to the chairs and settle in for a long wait, sitting side by side.

"Stupid plastic chairs," Blair grumbles, wriggling around to try and get comfortable.

Dan stands up and grabs her, sitting back down with her in his lap once more. She looks up at him questioningly and he just smiles slightly in return. "There's no point in us both being uncomfortable," he says.

"This seems unfair though," she replies. "You're only here because of me and now you're not only stuck on one of the most uncomfortable chairs in the world but you've got my weight squashing you too."

"Well I'd suggest that I sit on your knee but I think that could result in serious physical harm. I'm pretty sure you can't take my weight. Honestly Blair, you weigh next to nothing. It's no big deal."

He wraps his arm around her protectively and she gives in and settles against his chest, closing her eyes briefly. They are both silent but a couple of minutes later she opens her eyes once more. In the silence the reality of the situation hits her full force once more and any sense of peace has just evaporated.

Dan must have felt her tense up because he takes her hand and she entangles her fingers with his. "You and your Dad are close, aren't you?" he asks.

"Not like you and Rufus are," she replies. "We are close though. I was always a bit of a Daddy's girl growing up. My Mom was always busy building her empire and a lot of the time I was more like an accessory to her than a daughter. She'd dress me up like a princess and parade me around if there were clients to impress but days could go by with me barely seeing her. Daddy was always busy too but at least when he was around he treated me like a real person and would actually have a conversation with me. Looking back now I can see he was far from perfect but at the time I idolised him. He could never see anything bad in me though and I think that's why it hit him so hard when he found out about everything that happened with Yale. It's like he found out suddenly what his daughter was really like and I could see how devastated he was. I wasn't his perfect little girl anymore. I'd shown him glimpses of my real self before but never anything like that."

"Blair you talk about yourself sometimes as if you don't realise how incredible you really are. That wasn't your Dad glimpsing the real you. It was just him catching sight of one side of you. I'll be the first to admit that the schemes make me a little uncomfortable sometimes but that's all still a part of you and there is so much more to you than that. Your intelligence, your loyalty to your friends, your determination, Blair you're like a force of nature. After everything that happened with Chuck I've watched you pick yourself up and just get on with it. You're rebuilding your whole life and it's amazing. You're amazing.

She feels herself flush with pride and she isn't sure when the approval of Dan Humphrey started to matter to her but right now it seems like the most important thing in the world. "I've got you to thank for a lot of that though," she answers. He starts to protest and she interrupts with a smile, "I'm not saying I don't accept my own greatness but I'm not sure how I would have managed without you. It's taken me years but I can finally see what Serena saw in you."

"Now there's something I never thought I'd hear come out of the mouth of Blair Waldorf. Do you think maybe you can try and get a bit of sleep now? This is a lot to cope with and it'll be easier if you've rested a little bit."

She thinks about it and is surprised that she does feel a little tired finally so she agrees and snuggles into him further as his arms tighten around her. Before long they're both asleep.

When Blair wakes up she glances at her watch and it's 3am. Her Dad should be out of theatre soon. The worry rushes back. She burrows back into Dan's arms trying to recapture her sense of peace but a noise catches her attention and she looks up.

Serena is standing there looking at them both. She beckons to Blair who quickly removes herself from Dan's lap without waking him and follows her friend around the corner.

She is prepared for another lecture and is surprised when Serena pulls her in for a hug instead, "Blair I'm so sorry about everything I said. Nate told me what happened with your Dad and I couldn't sleep till I came down here and checked you were OK. How is he? Have you heard anything?"

Blair shakes her head, "I think he'll be out of surgery soon but no-one has said anything yet. Listen Serena, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have brought up things that were in the past but I was so angry. I've missed you."

"You've been OK though?" Serena asks, "Nate says Dan's been looking out for you."

Blair frowns slightly at the renewed interest in her friendship with Dan. It didn't end well the last time they had this discussion after all.

Serena sighs, "When I said I was sorry I meant it. I had no right to question your friendship with Dan. I don't own him and we both moved on a long time ago. I think I was just a little jealous and that's ridiculous. I'm with Nate now and I love him."

Blair smiles and the two of them sit down on some nearby chairs. "In that case, yes Dan has been looking out for me. I never thought I'd even be able to tolerate Dan Humphrey but now I can't imagine not having him in my life. He's been so great to me and I don't know how I would have coped without him. Does that make sense?"

Serena nudges her, "I saw the two of you when I came in so yes it makes perfect sense. When did you two become an item by the way? I want all the details."

"We're not. Dan and I are still just friends. Imagine the two of us together. It's ridiculous. We'd kill each other."

"Blair you were asleep in his lap. I think I can be forgiven for assuming things had moved on. You're seriously still just friends? I was assuming Nate hadn't told me you'd gotten together in case I took it badly. Can't think what would give him that impression." She grins.

"We're seriously still just friends. I swear that's the truth." Blair can feel herself blush and she panics, Serena has always been able to read her like a book. After all Dan may just be her friend but that doesn't mean she's oblivious to the way she's started to feel about him. The warm feeling she gets whenever he's around. The way her fingers tingle when he takes her hand.

Serena eyes her with suspicion. "Alright I believe you but that doesn't mean that you'll be happy for it to stay that way. So answer this question instead. Can you imagine being more than friends with Dan? Is it something you've thought about? Don't even think about lying to me either. You know I'll guess."

Blair sighs because Serena will know if she lies. They've known each other too long and it's at times like this that she is sorry that the blonde can read her so easily. "OK it may have crossed my mind. I'm starting to think that I could be really happy with him. It's all so easy with Dan and I used to think that wasn't something I was interested in. I thought that I needed the drama to survive but now I think maybe it was Chuck that convinced me of that because that's all he was able to give me. I thought that because I couldn't feel that attraction with Nate then a relationship with a nice guy wasn't for me."

"But with Dan that attraction's there?" Serena asks.

Blair takes a deep breath and decides she might as well admit everything. "Yes the attraction is there. He challenges me like Nate never did and when we argue I feel real sparks but he has this great heart and I know he'll never treat me like Chuck did. I know Chuck loved me and possibly still does but in the end passion doesn't equal happiness. I was so obsessed with trying to fix him and build the perfect relationship that I lost all perspective. It shouldn't be that hard and it almost broke my heart to let him go but I can see that now."

"Oh my God! I can't believe it. Dan Humphrey is your soul mate."

Blair laughs, "You always have to make everything so dramatic. I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself; it's just a bit of a crush on a friend. There is no way I'm going to pursue it. Besides isn't this weird for you?"

"What do you mean Blair? You have to pursue it. I thought by now you'd have realised I'm fine with it. I'm with your ex after all. Even I can see what a bitch I was being by getting angry about this. So don't you dare let any stupid worries about how I'll handle it hold you back from this."

"That's not the only thing that's stopping me though. It's complicated."

"So explain it to me," coxes Serena gently"

"Fine, right now he's the only person holding me together. It sounds pathetic but I need him and there is absolutely no way I am jeopardising that by letting him know how I've started to feel about him. If he doesn't feel the same way then I'll lose him as a friend and that would just tear me apart. So it doesn't matter what you say. We're friends and that's it. Don't even think about interfering in this."

"I promise I'll stay out of it for now but I can't promise I'll stay out of it forever. I'm your best friend Blair. I'm not going to let you pass up a chance to be happy. I really think it's worth the risk."

At that point the conversation is cut short and Blair doesn't have a chance to protest again. Dan himself has appeared at the end of the corridor and with him is the doctor. All thoughts of Dan fly from her head as she braces herself to hear news of her father.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry there was no mid-week update. I had a pretty stressful week and I didn't seem to have any energy left for writing. Please review; I appreciate every single one of your comments. It makes me so happy to know that people are still enjoying my story after all this time. I also seem to have picked up quite a few new alerts so welcome to any new readers and now back to the story.**

As Dan approaches Blair with the doctor she leaps to her feet but then he sees her start to sway slightly and he rushes to her side before she keels over. He sits her carefully back down as she starts to hyperventilate and desperately tries to quash his own panic at the state she is getting herself into. He knows he needs to keep himself calm if there is to be any chance of him managing to help her. He crouches in front of her and grabs her hands, encouraging her to look him right in the eyes. All he can see is panic as she gasps for breath in front of him.

"Breathe with me Blair, you need to calm down," he says gently as he very deliberately takes slow and measured breaths. Her breathing starts to slow to match his and she keeps her eyes fixed on him the entire time. Soon she is almost back to normal and the only evidence of her near panic attack is the way he can feel her hands trembling ever so slightly in his.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers. "I saw the doctor and suddenly I wasn't ready for any news. What if it's bad?"

"I understand that," he murmurs in return. "The doctor promises me the news is good though so how about you give him a chance to tell us?"

She nods slightly and gets to her feet once more, looking more like the determined Blair he's used to. He loops his arm around her waist to offer her some support and feels her lean into him ever so slightly in the way he is starting to get used to.

The doctor smiles and starts to speak, "I'm pleased to tell you that the surgery was a complete success. Obviously your father will need time to make a total recovery and I'm going to suggest some lifestyle changes but we're extremely happy with how everything went."

"He's going to be fine?" Blair asks in returns as if she can hardly believe what he is telling her. The doctor nods and Dan can physically feel the tension drain out of Blair's body. She turns into him and once more her tears are soaking his shirt as he gently strokes her hair and whispers soothing words.

"Hey what's this all about? You heard the doctor. Everything's going to be fine."

She is still trembling slightly in his arms and softly replies, "It's happy tears, idiot."

The doctor quietly interrupts them with the words, "Your father is just starting to come out of the aesthetic now. Would you like to see him?"

"Of course," Blair answers. So he gives her one last squeeze and sends her off with the doctor looking as if the weight of the world has been lifted off her shoulders.

Suddenly he is aware of some movement to his left and a voice says, "I think we need to talk."

For the first time he realises that Serena is standing there. "When did you get here?" he asks. "I didn't see you arrive."

She smiles in return, "I've been here the whole time. Blair and I were talking when you arrived. I'm not surprised you didn't notice me though. I was watching and it was as if Blair was the only person in the world that existed for you."

He thinks about it and realises Serena is right. Once upon a time he was so aware of Serena. It was as if the sun came out every time she entered a room and he could sense her before he even saw her. However in the moment that he saw Blair start to sway and he knew that she needed his help it wouldn't have mattered if a marching band had been going past. All he had been able to see was Blair and she was all that mattered. These days however that isn't exactly a rare occurrence. A lot of the time all he can see is Blair. It's like everything else fades to black and white around her.

"So exactly how long have you been in love with my best friend?" Serena asks and he pulls himself away from his thoughts.

He is about to launch into his usual denial of having any romantic feelings for Blair when suddenly it just seems like too much effort. Apparently he is making it obvious to everyone around and he has finally started to admit it to himself as well so he decides to just go with the truth.

"I'm not sure. I think it's been happening gradually. It's not like there was a blinding moment of realisation or anything but somehow it did happen. I don't know what I'm going to do though. This could ruin everything. Besides how can I do anything about it now? Look at everything she's going through. I can't land this on her too."

"But how do you know that it isn't exactly what she needs?" Serena replies and his heart lifts slightly.

"What do you know Serena?"

She smiles slightly and shakes her head, "I swore I would keep out of this and that's what I'm doing. Or I will be from now on anyway. I realise this entire conversation was hardly me keeping out of it."

He sighs, "You're useless to me. I'm going to go and check if Blair's alright." He stalks off with his mind going a mile a minute.

"Just talk to her!" Serena shouts after him.

He waits patiently outside Blair's father's room and is happy to see her looking much more relaxed when she emerges.

"How is he?" he asks.

"Tired but he seems to be doing pretty well now. The doctor reckons he'll sleep for a while and I promised my Dad I'd go and get some sleep too."

He smiles, "I'm glad and I agree with your Dad, I was going to insist on you going home to sleep now anyway. I've already called for a cab." Once again he puts his arm around her as he steers her outside.

Blair takes a deep breath and speaks, "I've got a favour to ask. Can I come back to the loft with you? It sounds stupid but I'd prefer to be with you. Sorry I know I've turned into a bit of a limpet recently. You must be getting pretty sick of me."

He can't believe that she would think for a second that he could ever be sick of her and turns her to face him before he answers. "Of course you can come home with me. You should know by now that you're always welcome besides all I'd do if you went home is worry about you. To be honest I feel a bit lost these days when you aren't around."

He is caught by how beautiful she looks standing there, despite her obvious lack of sleep and smudged make-up and takes a minute to steady himself before he continues. "It's not like I've been spending time with you out of charity Blair. You're funny and smart and absolutely gorgeous. You blow me away." In that moment he can't help himself. He leans forward and tilting his head to the side, kisses her very gently on the lips. She just stands there, completely frozen. Horrified with himself he pulls away. His conversation with Serena had filled him with hope but now he realises Blair obviously doesn't feel the same way. He can't believe he took advantage of her like that but it was like his mouth was moving of its own accord. "My God Blair, I'm so sorry. I swear that will never happen again. We're both tired and I got carried away..." He's rambling now and he tails off as he backs away and tries to fix the situation.

"Don't apologise," Blair answers as she grabs his hand. She pulls him back towards her and her kiss almost takes his breath away. Her lips are soft and warm and they move ever so gently over his. He's never had a kiss like it. Standing there outside the hospital is hardly the most romantic setting but it doesn't matter because once again all he is aware of in that moment is her. She opens her mouth slightly and he deepens the kiss, stroking her tongue ever so slightly with his. She moans and moves even further into his arms, without breaking the kiss. Suddenly he realises exactly where they are and that they really need to put a stop to this before it goes any further. He pulls back slightly but grabs hold of Blair's hands. She still looks exhausted but she's smiling and her eyes are shining.

A horn toots and he realises a cab has pulled up beside him. He grabs her hand and they jump into the back of the car as he gives the driver the address of the loft. They haven't said anything to each other but in the moment it doesn't seem necessary. As they travel across the city his arm is around her and every now and again they turn towards each other and exchange another soft kiss. The cab pulls up outside the loft and they hold hands all the way up the stairs. He can't believe this is happening to him and he's not sure he's ever smiled this widely in his life. He unlocks the door of the loft and pulls her in behind him, turning to kiss her once more.

She smiles at him but her eyes are starting to droop ever so slightly and she is leaning rather heavily on him. He realises that for now Blair is only just about staying upright. "I think for now we should head to bed," he says.

Blair starts a little, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet, although right now I'm sorely tempted." She runs her hand over his chest and his heart races but he quickly gets a hold of himself and pulls back slightly once more.

"Not what I had in mind right now despite how tempting it is. We're both tired and I'm thinking we should get some sleep and then we can talk. You can take my bed."

"Can we not both take your bed?" Blair replies. "I'll sleep better with you there. I promise I'll control myself."

"It's not you I'm worried about," he groans. "I'm finding it pretty hard to resist you right now."

"Yes because I'm looking so irresistible right now." She gestures at her ruined make-up and rumpled clothes.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he answers and he means every word. "You always do. I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman though. Come on, let's get some sleep."

They head to his room and he throws her one of her favourite 'Dan' shirts to sleep in. She heads to the bathroom to change and he breathes a sigh of relief. He's pretty sure if she had changed in front of him then that would have been his undoing. By the time she returns, face clean of make-up and dressed for sleep he's in bed waiting for her. She falls in beside him and he pulls her towards him so she can snuggle into his arms. He gives her one final kiss and she falls into a deep, exhausted sleep almost immediately. She gives a gentle snore and he smiles slightly at how horrified she would be if he ever mentioned her snoring. He's pretty confident she'd point blank deny it.

"I think I'm in love with you," he murmurs, just to hear how it sounds when he says it out loud, and pulls her closer as he also succumbs to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the gap between updates. Real life has been eating up all of my time and I've been so exhausted in the little spare time I have had that I haven't been able to get up the energy to write. This chapter is a bit of a departure for me because it changes from Blair's point of view to Dan's part of the way through. It's the first time I've had two such distinct scenes in the same chapter but I'm hoping it works OK. I had some lovely reviews again last chapter so thank-you so much. Some of you asked if Blair heard Dan's words at the end of the last chapter but she didn't I'm afraid. She was already asleep. Sorry to disappoint you but I think they have some things to sort out before she's ready to hear that. Some of that will be sorted out this chapter though. Now back to the story.**

Blair awakens in Dan's arms and she takes a moment to appreciate how wonderful it feels. He's still asleep and she tries not to move so she doesn't wake him. She's painfully aware of the sleep he's missed out on and it also gives her a chance to think about what's happened over the last 24 hours. She knows she would have fallen apart without Dan at the hospital and she was being completely truthful when she told Serena that she really can't imagine her life now without him in it. The irony of this isn't lost on her. Once upon a time she wanted nothing to do with him and now he's become her rock. If anybody had told her a year ago that she would be kissing Dan Humphrey, and then waking up in his bed, she would have laughed in their face but now it all just seems so natural. When she was kissing him last night she hadn't just felt attraction, although that was there in abundance, it had felt like coming home. What's more, right now, she can't think of anywhere else she'd rather be. She feels him moving slightly and realises he's waking up so she pulls away slightly and frantically tries to smooth her hair and make herself look presentable. He grins at her sleepily and removes her hands from her head.

"Blair you look beautiful as always. C'mere" He drags her back towards him and messes up her hair again with his hands. "There, much better, I like you looking a lot more...accessible."

He flips her over onto her back and balances himself on his elbows above her but when he moves in for a kiss she quickly stops him with her hand over his mouth. "I'll have terrible morning breath; I really don't think you want to do that."

"I really don't care," he answers against her hand and moves it swiftly out of the way.

Once more his lips are on hers and then his tongue is softly caressing the roof of her mouth and it feels amazing. He changes position again, pulling her with him, and now he is on his back and she is lying on top of him and somehow their lips have never separated. She buries her fingers in his hair as she returns his kiss and every bit of her body feels as though it's on fire when his hands start to stroke lightly up and down her sides. However before they get too carried away she moves off him and to the side, sitting up in bed. This time she won't be making the mistake she made when she first slept with Chuck. She needs to know exactly what's going on here before things go any further.

Dan groans slightly and tries to pull her back towards him but she resists and questions him instead. "This is going to sound stupid and girly but what are we doing here? Is this a quick fling between friends or something more? I need to know because I don't want to be hurt again so it's important we're both going in with our eyes open."

"Blair it doesn't sound stupid," he answers firmly. "More than anyone I know what you've been through recently but I can assure you that I don't want this to just be a fling. I genuinely believe we can be great together. The only thing holding me back was the fact that I was sure you wouldn't be interested. I need you to be honest with me though. Can you see us lasting? I really think we can work but I don't want to be a diversion for you on your way back to Chuck. So have you really thought about this? I'm never going to be able to provide you with the kind of drama that he can and the chances are I'm never going to be able to give you with the kind of lifestyle he can either. I know I've had my issues with you and Chuck over the years but even I could see the passion between the two of you and I don't want you to wake up one day and realise everything you're missing out on."

Blair takes a deep breath before she answers. In a way it's a relief to hear that Dan is suffering from the same sort of insecurities she is. "I can't promise you that it'll definitely work out between us Dan, nobody can promise that, but I can promise that I won't be going back to Chuck. I'm not the same person I was when I was with him and I couldn't live like that again. Besides I'm my mother's daughter and I don't need a man to provide me with the lifestyle I deserve. In a way that's one of the things that was missing when I was with Chuck. I don't think he ever really wanted our relationship to be a true partnership and because of that I just became an extension of him. I don't want to lose myself again."

Dan takes her hand and squeezes it in response, "And the passion? You might deny it but I know that's important to you. So tell me honestly, are you really that attracted to me or am I just the safe option?"

"The safe option, seriously? What about this is safe exactly? I'm contemplating a completely different life to be with you. Do you honestly thing I'd be doing that if you were just a nice guy to be around? I tried to explain this to Serena last night. You aren't Nate. He was my safe option but you certainly aren't. When you touch me I tingle, when we kissed it felt like everything I've ever wanted. I didn't understand before that you could have both, a guy who makes you feel safe but at the same time makes you want to rip his clothes off. I want to be with you more than anything."

Dan smiles in response, "So how long exactly have you wanted to rip my clothes off?"

"Longer than I'd care to admit. For a long time I couldn't even admit it to myself."

"Well in that case let's rectify the problem right now."

She squeals slightly as he pulls her back towards him and captures her mouth in a fierce, passionate kiss. She feels herself flush as she grabs the bottom of the shirt he was sleeping in, pulling it over his head in one movement and taking a second to admire his torso before peppering it with tiny, kisses. She shivers as his hand travels up her thigh, and under the shirt she's wearing to cup her waist as he buries his other hand in her hair, pulling her as close to him as is physically possible as he kisses her neck and then moves his mouth down her collarbone.

At that moment she hears the front door bang and groans with frustration as she hears Rufus shout out, "Dan, are you home?"

Dan also groans as she rolls off him and mutters angrily, "OK, it's official, the world hates me."

She laughs lightly and kisses him before throwing him his shirt. "I guess this will have to wait. Do you mind if I grab a shower? Then I'd really like to head to the hospital to check on my Dad."

"Of course you can. I'll come with you to the hospital if you want but I'd better talk to my Dad first."

"I'd love it if you'd come with me. Are you going to tell your Dad what's going on with us?"

"Is that OK with you? I don't want to get ahead of myself but he'll guess something's going on. He's got an uncanny knack of doing that."

She smiles, "It's fine. I don't think he'd need to be a genius to work it out anyway. Besides I don't want to be sneaking around. If we're going to do this I want to be a proper couple."

"Good, come on then." He grabs her hand and pulls her out of his bedroom door, never letting go of her. He is obviously serious about letting Rufus know. She sees Rufus's eyebrows shoot up almost into his hair and quickly heads for the bathroom shamelessly leaving Dan to face the music.

* * *

Dan sits down at the counter facing his Dad, slightly unsure at the response he's going to get. This is almost an exact replica of the positions they were in when he swore blind there was nothing going on between him and Blair. It's exactly where he told his Dad that Blair was just a girl who had needed his help. At that time it had been true but things have altered so dramatically now that he isn't even sure where to start.

Rufus beats him to it. "I'm assuming things have changed between you and Blair?"

"You could say that, yes."

"I won't say I'm surprised. How long has it been going on?"

"Only since last night but I think it's been coming on gradually. I know you're going to worry about this Dad. I was listening when you told me to be careful with Blair, I swear, but so many things have happened since then and I'm sure this is the right thing I'm doing. Please say you can be happy for us."

"First you need to explain to me what's going on. Is this just a casual thing between friends? I know you Dan and that's never going to be enough for you. Besides even I know that the two of you are bound to face some problems. Are you sure she's worth it?"

"There's nothing casual about this. I know it sounds insane but I really think we'll be great together. Believe me she is so worth it. She challenges me in ways I never thought possible and we just seem to fit together. I know it'll be difficult for you to believe, and that you've seen plenty of Blair in the past to make you distrust her, but we both really want this to work. I really believe we bring out the best in each other."

"Dan, I can hardly lecture you on the dangers of being with someone like Blair. After all my wife is possibly one of the most complicated women on the face of the planet. If you really love someone though then it's all worth it. Are you sure you're ready to cope with all the baggage that's going to come with her though?"

"I know you're worried about me getting hurt Dad but I have to give this a try. Don't you wish you'd stuck with Lily all those years ago?"

"First of all if I had stayed with Lily then you wouldn't have existed so no I don't wish that. Besides the two of us are in a much better position to be together now. It would never have lasted back then. You're not understanding me though, of course I'm worried about you, but to be honest I'm just as worried about Blair. That girl needs you. I'm not stupid and I'm aware of what's been going on recently, as much as you might think my head is constantly in the sand. If things don't work out between the two of you then I'm sure you'd cope. I'm not so sure that she could so you have to be really sure that this is what you want because you've been Blair's support network recently and you can't suddenly take that away from her."

"Dad I swear to you we can make this work. We make each other happy and things are only going to get better between us, I promise. I know it isn't going to be easy but I can't go back now and I wouldn't want to even if I could. You might deny it but I know you were really always waiting for Lily to come back to you. I'm not willing to wait that long and I don't have to. I can have it all, right now."

Rufus smiles and holds up his hands, "Enough, I'm convinced. You don't make things easy for yourself but I think that's just a trait of us Humphrey men. If you ever need any advice I'm right here. You know that right?"

"I know that Dad. So you'll try and be happy for us? I need you on my side here."

"Dan, you're my son, I'm always on your side and of course I'm happy for you. So breakfast?"

Dan breathes a sigh of relief and nods in response as they settle down to eat.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: People seemed fine with my flipping POV halfway through the last chapter so I'll be doing that again. It makes it much easier to move the story on. Whenever I change from one to the other I'll always use a dividing line to make it clear. Thank-you so much for the great response to the last chapter. It was really nice to see a few new reviewers and I love the fact that people are still coming to my story now. Also thank-you to my regular reviewers because there are a couple of names I always look out for and you never let me down. The good news is I'm on holiday from work this week so you might actually get another chapter before the weekend. The bad news is very little happens in this chapter, other than a little character development, but there will be more drama next time.**

When she comes out of the shower Blair finds Dan and Rufus at the counter in the middle of breakfast and, although she quickly tries to remove herself from the potentially awkward situation, at Rufus's coaxing she joins them and finds herself sitting beside Dan munching on some fruit. She is genuinely surprised at how comfortable she feels with Dan's Dad as the three of them make idle chit-chat. It makes her a little sad that meals at her house were never like this. She is so relaxed that she even feels comfortable enough to stay and talk with Rufus when Dan goes to jump in the shower. However she's well aware of the reservations the older Humphrey probably has about her so she isn't surprised when he jumps straight into asking her about her relationship with his son. In fact she is almost expecting it.

"Blair, I want you to know that I'm more than a little concerned about this. I've told Dan that I'll try and be happy for the two of you but you have to appreciate that most of my experience of you is of the girl who tormented my daughter for so long while making her doubt everything about herself."

Blair's heart sinks and she jumps in before he can go any further. "Mr Humphrey, I regret the things I did back then but Jenny wasn't exactly innocent and I don't think I can take all the blame. Having said that I can see now that I was her introduction to a life that didn't even make me happy and I'm so sorry about that. Can you just give me a chance now though? I promise I really care about Dan and I can't give him up. I know it's selfish but..."

At that point Rufus interrupts, "Blair if you had let me finish I would have said that most of my experience of you has been of that girl but that I know things have been hard for you and when I see you with my son the two of you seem right together. Besides I agree that Jenny must take at least some of the responsibility for the things that happened. I am right in thinking that you aren't the same person now aren't I?"

She decides to go for brutal honesty, "There will always be a bit of that person in me. I can't change who I am overnight and I know Dan doesn't want me to become a totally different person anyway. It's one of the things I like most about him. The things I've changed about myself recently have been things I've wanted to change, not things I've changed to make him happy. I'm not sure I've ever had a relationship like that before. He brings out the best in me but I bring out the best in him too. Besides, High School Blair wasn't all bad you know. I think you just saw the worst of me. Now that I'm going to be dating your son I really wish it hadn't happened like that, you have no idea how much."

Rufus smiles, "You know when Dan talks about you it's like he lights up. I've never seen him like that, not even when he was with Serena. What kind of father would I be if I tried to take that happiness away from him? Besides, despite what you think, I'd like to see you happy too and I really think Dan can help with that. I know we don't know each other well but I've never seen you with such a genuine looking smile as the one you have when you're with my son and you might not think you've changed that much but, sitting talking with you now, it seems like you've changed a fair bit to me."

She smiles back at him now, "That's because he makes me happy. I realise now that I never really was before, even although I managed to convince myself I was. I'm genuinely sorry if I took any of my unhappiness out on your family." She is astounded at herself. She has just poured her heart out to Rufus Humphrey of all people.

Rufus holds out his hand, "Fresh start?"

"Fresh start," she replies and they shake on it.

At that point Dan bursts out of the bathroom and she realises by the short amount of time he's been away that he must have been terrified at leaving her alone with his father. She quickly assures him that they've been getting on like a house on fire and is relieved to hear Rufus echo the sentiment.

Twenty minutes later they leave for the hospital and she is relieved when he suggests getting a cab once more. It's been a stressful few days and she doesn't think she can handle the subway. He questions her about her time with his Dad most of the way there but she resolutely refuses to give him any of the details. She knows it's stupid but it seems kind of private. Instead she makes light of it and tells him she won his Dad over with her charm and is relieved when they arrive at the hospital and the conversation is at an end.

She clutches Dan's hand as they enter the hospital. She can't help but get a little nervous when she enters the building now and she is so glad to have him beside her. The physical connection of their hands helps because she can almost use him as an anchor to hold onto. They've been very tactile for a while now and she knows it's one of the reasons people sometimes mistakenly thought they were a couple. Now she finds herself constantly gravitating towards him as if the frequent touch makes it all real. As a result she doesn't even drop his hand as they enter her father's room. Besides she wants her father to meet Dan as her boyfriend so the hand-holding seems like a good icebreaker. Once they are beside the bed she lets go so that she can kiss her father good morning.

She looks at him appraisingly, decides he looks a little better this morning, and feels herself relax slightly as she confirms it with the man himself, "How are you feeling this morning Daddy?"

"Much better Blair, I promise, and I'm so sorry I gave you such a scare. This was meant to be time we could spend together, just the two of us, and now I'm stuck in here, leaving you terrified and dealing with all of this on your own. Roman will be flying in later today though and your Mom and Cyrus are coming home tonight so you aren't going to be alone much longer. I want you to know that I'm so proud of how you've coped with all of this but you look exhausted."

She rushes to reassure him, "I'm fine Daddy and Dan was here. He stayed with me the whole time."

Her Dad smiles, "The mysterious Dan Humphrey, I've been looking forward to speaking with you. Recently it seems you're all my daughter talks about."

Dan grins in response, "Really?"

Blair is horrified at the thought of her father revealing all of her secrets. She really doesn't need Dan knowing how much she must have sounded like a schoolgirl with a crush when she was talking about him to her Dad so she's quick to jump in, "I'm sure all Daddy means is that it seems like you were all I talked about because until recently I never mentioned you at all."

Even to her the explanation sounds a little weak but Dan obviously decides to take pity on her as he leans down to murmur in her ear, "Don't worry, I think I've probably been boring people with stories about you too." Her heart soars. She knows she has the tendency to be a little intense about her relationships but obviously Dan isn't easily scared. Once again she puts her hand in his and he squeezes it in response.

Her father clears his throat and she directs her attention back towards him, "Sorry Daddy, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that I'd love a chance for the three of us to sit and chat. Why don't you go and get some coffee for yourself and Dan and I'll take 5 minutes to get to know him. By the time you get back with the coffees we'll be old friends."

"You're sure you're up to it Daddy?"

"I'm sure, now go."

She looks at Dan a little desperately. She isn't sure he's ready to face her father, "You're OK with this?"

He doesn't exactly looks convinced but guides her towards the door, "It'll be fine. I'd love to get the chance to get to know your Dad."

She isn't being given a choice so she leaves them to it as the door closes ominously behind her.

* * *

Dan feels slightly sick as the door closes behind Blair. Not only is he fairly sure he is going to be subjected to the father talk but this particular father is barely out of heart surgery. That adds an extra level of horror to this situation that he is far from happy with. He's quick to jump in with, "Are you sure you're up to this sir?" trying to get himself out of the situation but also genuinely concerned for the man's health. He's fairly sure Blair will never forgive him if this conversation gives her father another heart attack.

"I can assure you I'm fine. Now let's talk. We only have a few minutes. I take it that you and my daughter are no longer just friends. I'm not blind so I want you to tell me where this is going."

Blair's father obviously likes to get straight to the point and Dan tries to steady his breathing as he answers, "I can't speak for Blair but I'm hoping we'll be together for a long time. I really care about her and I promise you I'll do everything I can to make her happy." He knows it sounds cheesy but he also knows how important Blair's father is to her and he is desperate to convince him that he belongs with his daughter.

Dan sees the man in the bed mull over his words a little before he replies, "You know it's only recently that I've realised how unhappy my daughter has been. I genuinely managed to convince myself that she was happy. The fact that I didn't notice how miserable she was makes me feel like the worst father in the world. Recently though that's all changed and when we speak on the phone she even sounds excited when she talks about NYU. I wasn't lying though when I said that mostly she talks about you. I don't want to embarrass her so this will remain strictly between us but she sounds happier when she talks about the things you've done together than she ever did about any Upper East Side party or event. I just want to check that you aren't going to break her heart because she's the most important person in the world to me. I can assure you if you hurt her, I'll hurt you."

"I promise you that nothing you can do to me would be as terrible as how I would feel if I ever hurt your daughter," Dan answers.

"Then I'm more than happy to give you a chance. Now Blair won't have had to go far for coffee so tell me an innocuous story about college so we can try and convince her that's what we've been discussing when she returns."

Dan is more than happy to oblige, as he was far from comfortable with the previous topic, and he is telling a very uninteresting story about his English Literature class when Blair returns. He's surprised to see her looking very uncomfortable when she comes back into the room. He thinks he's doing an excellent impression of someone who is completely at ease talking to her father.

He wonders no longer though when under the pretence of giving him a quick kiss on the cheek she whispers softly in his ear, "Don't say anything to my father but I'm fairly sure I just saw Chuck coming down the corridor."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I've been struggling with this chapter because once again I found it very hard to write Chuck. I love the character but he's ridiculously complex and as a result very hard to get the hang of. I hope the final result is acceptable. I fear this may be a little short for some people again, although it is longer than the last time. I had intended to have another scene but it seemed more logical to stop it where I did so I'm sorry about that. To give you fair warning I think there will only be another chapter or two and this will be finished. I do have an idea for my next story though. Once again thank-you to my wonderful reviewers and thanks for all the good wishes for my week off work. It's been fantastic to get the chance to relax a bit. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

About an hour passes with Blair and Dan chatting to her father while they carefully make no mention of the fact that Chuck is on the premises but she is finding it impossible to get it out of her mind. Blair has never filled her father in on the details of her complicated relationship with Chuck but he is more than aware of the fact that things have not exactly been easy between them. As a result her ex-boyfriend is far from his favourite person and she has no wish to get him upset when he's still recovering. Eventually though he falls back asleep and they prepare to leave. Blair really isn't sure she's ready to face the music but spending the whole day in her father's hospital room isn't much of an option either.

Dan also looks more than a little concerned. "Do you think Chuck's still out there?" he asks softly.

She sighs, "Nobody knows Chuck like I do. I _know_ he's still out there."

"Then maybe we should just stay in here."

She laughs quietly and hits him on the arm, "You big coward. Follow my lead."

She now has a very clear plan and grabbing Dan's hand she pulls him to his feet. Then she jumps up and her legs are straddling his waist. She feels his hands automatically grab her and hold her in place as her lips find his. Automatically he returns her kiss and soon his hands are in her hair as he deepens it and she almost looses all focus on what she is supposed to be doing here. However she knows they have to get out of here because her plan is definitely not her father waking up to find his daughter getting hot and heavy with her new boyfriend in his hospital room, of all places. She briefly pulls away from his lips and says, "OK, now you walk out the door with me."

He looks confused at first but then she sees realisation cross his face. Maybe Dan isn't as clueless as he once was when it comes to scheming. He still sounds positively incredulous though when he says, "We leave like this?" and gestures towards her legs around his waist.

She smiles and nods, capturing his mouth once more, impressed that he can get the door open and move the few steps into the corridor without dropping her, still kissing her all the while. Dan Humphrey is clearly an excellent multi-tasker. Her senses are so full of Dan that she actually forgets for a second the original point of the plan until she feels a hand pull her away from him and there, looking not angry as she expected but more hurt that she has ever seen him, is Chuck.

She feels a twinge of guilt but, determined to stick to the plan, jumps down, grabs Dan's hand and says, "Oh I'm sorry Chuck. I didn't see you there. Did you want something?" She smiles and tries her best to look nonchalant.

He sneers and she knows he is trying to cover up his initial sadness when he saw them but she knows him too well for that. It's that hurt look and not the sneer that convinces her that he probably is owed an explanation when he snaps at her, "I need to speak to you now Blair."

"Fine, wait for me in the cafeteria and I'll meet you there," she answers.

He seems furious at that and raises his voice slightly as he replies, "I don't think so Blair, I don't wait for anybody. Come with me now."

She is determined however to keep control of this situation and is incredibly proud of herself when she manages to keep her voice steady, despite the fact that she is trembling slightly, when she says, "Either you wait for me there or we don't talk at all Chuck."

She sees his resolve buckle at that and he mutters, "Fine, five minutes then," and leaves.

As soon as he is out of sight she turns towards Dan, hugging him tightly and burying her head in his chest. She feels her shaking subside as he strokes her hair and she is impressed that this time she isn't crying and is managing to hold it together so well.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to Blair," he murmurs. "I can always head down there and have a word with Chuck. I can handle him."

She leans back and smiles up at him slyly, "You mean like the last time when he punched you in the face."

"Hey, he caught me by surprise. This time I'd be ready for him."

She kisses him softly and says, "Turned on as I am by this, slightly unconvincing, display of macho pride this is something I have to do. I'll make sure he knows that it's over for good and then we'll be free to go on with the rest of our lives together."

"The rest of our lives?" he asks softly.

Too late she realises that she has gotten a little carried away with herself. She might have started to secretly imagine a life with Dan Humphrey but that doesn't mean that he's ready to hear that. She curses her tendency to push people into wanting what she wants. All it ever does is push them further away from her. She tries to backtrack, "It's just a turn of phrase you know. Sorry I know we aren't thinking that far ahead; let's just forget I ever said that..."

He cuts her off as he kisses her and she relaxes. She hasn't scared him off.

He pulls away and says with a smile, "Blair you're crazy, but that particular brand of crazy I can handle. Please don't ever think you have to hide what you're thinking from me. Besides if you can put up with me for that long, I'll be amazed."

She smiles back and says, "At least we'll never be bored."

"True," he replies. "Now I think you should go and talk to Chuck and get it over with. If it gets too much though you have to promise me you'll just walk away. I can't have him hurting you anymore. I just won't let it happen."

At that she feels the smile almost splitting her face because she knows that finally there is someone who will always be on her side. Who could ever have predicted it would be Dan Humphrey. Words are spilling out of her mouth again before she can stop them, "I love you, you know."

His smile is as wide as hers as he replies, "I love you too and I know you can do this." A warm feeling spreads through her as they kiss once more because this is the way it should be. When you tell someone you love them they should say it back.

She pulls herself together and starts to move away, hearing him moan and feeling him try to pull her back towards him, as she breaks their kiss, "I really have to go and do this now. I'm more than ready. You'll wait for me by the front doors?"

"Of course I will. Try not to be too long though. I can think of much better ways we can be spending our day." He raises an eyebrow suggestively and she laughs.

"I'll be as quick as I can but I need to do finish it properly. You know that." She gives him one last peck and reluctantly heads towards the cafeteria before Chuck comes to find her. That was a seriously long 5 minutes.

When she sees him he's sitting in the corner and looks so dejected her heart almost melts. This is Chuck after all, the first man she ever loved, and once upon a time she was absolutely convinced they would be together forever. It's strange though, this is the first time in years that her heart hasn't quickened with that surge of initial attraction when she sees him and she's actually surprised. She genuinely thought that even although it was over she would still be slightly drawn to him as she once was but she was wrong.

He looks up and she moves swiftly across the room and sits opposite him. He reaches across the table for her hand but she pulls it away and once again she sees a flash of pain cross his face. She places her hands in her lap and asks, "Why are you here Chuck?"

"I heard about your father and I thought you might need me. Serena and Nate both tried to stop me and explain about how close you and Humphrey had gotten but I didn't really believe them. When I first saw the two of you together all those weeks ago I genuinely thought that by now you'd be over your experiment with Brooklyn boy but it seems I was wrong. I appreciate you needed some time away from me but this is getting ridiculous. Isn't this a bit of an extreme reaction to what I did? You win OK. I admit it, I'm ridiculously jealous and I'm ready to do anything to get you back."

Now she's angry because he's making ridiculous assumptions but she is determined not to raise her voice. They are in public and in a hospital after all but she still manages to insert some quiet venom into her reply, "Once again of course this has to be all about you. It never occurred to you that this might be nothing to do with you? So our break-up might have been the catalyst but that's it. I realised I didn't like who I'd become but I take full responsibility for that Chuck. You didn't make me who I was. That was all me. I've got news for you. I was over you a long time ago. I hope one day we can be friends but that's it and that's all it can ever be."

He looks genuinely angry as he replies, "I don't believe you. You might not be able to admit it but you're lying to yourself. We're Chuck and Blair and we belong together. You're obviously still hurt about what I did but you will get over it and you'll see that you'll never really be happy without me. There is no way Humphrey can make you happy Blair." His voice cracks a little at the end and she sees that once again the anger is just a facade to hide the deeper hurt he is obviously feeling but she has to make him understand.

This time her tone is gentler, "That's just it though, I'm not hurt about what you did anymore. I promise you I've moved past that and I forgive you. That's how I know that it's over between us."

He sounds almost desperate as he replies, "Really think about it though. Can you honestly be as happy with Humphrey as you were with me? I still love you Blair. I'll always love you. It's like I'm only half a person without you."

Suddenly she realises what she has to say to make him understand. "I'm not sure I was ever happy with you Chuck. I was so in love with you it almost consumed me and we had this incredible passion together but I'm happier now." His expression almost breaks her heart and she tries to explain herself more clearly, "At the time I thought it was what I wanted and I am so honoured that you let yourself love me. What we had was incredible and you'll always be a part of me but it's over. I'll always love you but I'm not in love with you anymore."

He looks totally broken now as he tries one last time, "Please Blair, I'm lost without you. I need you."

But she knows now that was always the problem. They needed each other so much. This is how she lost herself in him and she won't let it happen again so she remains firm. "You'll get over me. You don't need me, I promise. I'm so proud of everything you've achieved and you can do this too. I genuinely thought I'd never survive without you but I was wrong and you'll get over me too."

"Please don't try and tell me I'll find my own Dan Humphrey. I'm not sure I can take it."

She smiles, "That's not what I mean. You're so much stronger now than you were when we first got together and that's why you don't need me anymore. We relied on each other too much. You're a wonderful, clever, passionate man who can do anything he puts his mind too. I've got so much faith in you. Maybe in a few years you'll decide I was actually holding you back."

He smiles in return, "I'm pretty confident that will never happen. Look, I love you Blair but even I can tell when I'm fighting a losing battle. So look me in the eye and promise me that you're happy with Humphrey because to me that still just seems ridiculous."

She takes a deep breath, "I promise. Not too long ago it would have seemed ridiculous to me as well but it's the truth."

"All right then I'm done. There's no point in me dragging it out. You can tell your new boyfriend from me though that I'm watching him. If he ever hurts you I'll kill him."

They both get to their feet and she moves to give him a tight hug. Even for her it's hard to admit it's over. She pulls back and briefly takes his hand, "Promise me you'll try to be happy. I can't bear to see you miserable." Tears spring to her eyes and he pulls her in for one last hug.

"I can promise you I'll try. Good enough?" he mutters.

"I guess I'll need to take that and I do mean it when I say that I hope one day we can be friends. Take care of yourself."

"You too Blair."

She gives him one last watery smile and walks away.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: This has been the biggest delay I've ever had between chapters and I'm so sorry. Real life has been seriously getting in the way of me finishing this but here we are at the final chapter. Thank-you so much to everybody who has stayed with this story and especially to all those who have taken the time to review. If you haven't so far please consider letting me know what you think of this last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't manage personal responses to every reviewer last chapter but I promise you I appreciated every single one. Finally I'd like to say the biggest thank you of all to those of you who have been with me since the start, persuaded me to continue, and stuck with me throughout. This story quite simply wouldn't have happened without you and this final chapter is dedicated to you all. I've already started work on my next story so I hope to see you all next time.**

Dan stands by the doors waiting for Blair. He's incredibly nervous about what she's saying to Chuck right now but what worries him even more is what Chuck is saying back. He isn't stupid and as much as he hopes Blair is telling the truth when she says she's over Chuck he knows there's a part of him, however small, that fears that when the two of them are alone she'll realise she's still in love with him. It was so easy to be confident in his fledgling relationship with Blair when the two of them were alone in bed together this morning. He isn't sure he's so confident in it when Chuck is added into the mix once more. What he does know is that it would break his heart to lose Blair now when he finally feels like they have a future together. He takes a deep breath to prepare himself as he finally sees her coming towards him. He starts to speak but she cuts him off with a searing kiss and he quickly responds, wrapping his arms around her and drinking in every bit of her.

He smiles and pulls back slightly grinning down at her, "That really didn't feel like a goodbye kiss."

She looks puzzled as she answers, "No that was definitely a hello kiss. What do you mean?"

"I guess I got a little insecure while I was standing here waiting for you. I was there for a big part of your history with Chuck after all. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a tiny part of me that was terrified that you'd decide he was the one you wanted."

She sighs and wraps her arms around him once more as she replies, "That was never going to happen. I promise you it's over. I did feel terrible though. He was so upset. People don't realise how vulnerable Chuck can be sometimes. It doesn't matter what he did to me, I never wanted to be one of the people to break his heart and I'm terrified that's what I've just done. Sorry I know that sounds conceited."

He pulls away from her slightly so he can look her in the face. "It doesn't sound conceited Blair. Standing here waiting for you, I was thinking about what I would do if I lost you to Chuck and it absolutely terrified me so I think right now I can sympathise with the guy more than I ever have before. You need to take responsibility for your own happiness though and let Chuck take responsibility for his."

She kisses him softly once more before she answers, "I know you're right but it'll just take some time before I can stop worrying about him, if I ever can. I hope you're OK with that?"

She looks so concerned about his reaction that he pulls her into a tight hug before murmuring into her hair, "Your history with Chuck and the fact that you'll always care about him is part of who you are. I would never expect you to change that because of me. I just hope Chuck can accept the fact that you and I are together now because there is no way I'm letting you out of my life now."

He feels her sigh slightly against his chest as she responds, "I promise you a hundred guys like Chuck couldn't tear me away from you now. I love you too much. Now can we go home please?"

He takes her hand as they walk away from the hospital, "I really hope there aren't a hundred guys like Chuck in the world. I'm not sure I could take it. I'd pretty much convinced myself he was a one off. Now I have a surprise for you."

She pesters him for the next couple of blocks about what he could possibly have planned until they arrive at his 'surprise' and then she scowls at him and thumps him with her fist because they are standing by the entrance to the subway. "No way Dan, Nate couldn't get me on that thing and neither will you."

"Blair, thousands of people ride the subway every day. I'm one of them and unless you want us to travel separately you will be too. It's no big deal, I swear."

She sighs, "Look, I never told anybody this but the thought of the subway terrifies me. I know Nate thought I was just being a snob and that's definitely part of it but it isn't just that. After he tried to get me to travel on it I did attempt to make myself do it a couple of times and once I even made it down there but there were people everywhere and I felt like I was having a panic attack. I just couldn't bring myself to actually get on the train. I know it's ridiculous and I was ashamed that I'd let a stupid train beat me but I just couldn't do it."

He looks her straight in the face as he replies, "When I think of all the things you've done in the last few days, dealing with everything with your father and now facing up to Chuck, this will be nothing. You can do this."

She takes a deep breath. "Fine, I can't let the train win. Promise me that you won't let me out of your sight though or it's all off."

He smiles, grabs her hand once more and pulls her down the stairs. "I promise you I'll be with you the whole time. Afterwards you'll wonder what the big deal was."

They pay for their tickets and Dan is relieved to see a train just pulling onto the platform. He really doesn't want to give Blair too much time to think about this. The truth is his limited funds just can't take the constant cab rides anymore and he's determined this experiment will be a success. It's a fairly quiet time of the day so they find a couple of seats and he grins as Blair looks suspiciously at them before she sits down. He wraps his arm around her and is surprised to feel her shaking ever so slightly but makes no mention of it. He really doesn't think she'd like him drawing her attention to that and he decides distraction will be his best approach and takes the opportunity to broach a subject that's been on his mind all day.

"How would you feel about being roommates next year? I know you haven't found a place to live yet."

He is relieved to feel her shaking subside slightly as obviously his tactic is working. "Are you sure you can put up with me Dan? I'm well aware of the fact that I can be a little challenging at times. Can you really imagine having me around all the time? I don't want you making a rash decision on this."

He grins, "Really think about it Blair. I don't have to imagine having you around all the time because I already do and we both seem to be managing just fine with that. It's weird but we just seem to fit. I feel more comfortable with you than I ever have with anyone and even when we were just friends I had thought about the possibility of us living together next semester. Now I can't imagine anything else. You have to admit we've been practically living in each other's pockets for weeks now anyway."

She falls silent and he can tell she's giving it some serious thought. "You don't think it'll be too much pressure? I know it's stupid because we've been practically living together anyway but my room on campus was always there as a bit of a safety net. I admit I love the thought of living with you but I don't want to risk what we have."

"I don't want to risk it either but I really don't think we will be. I love being with you and I hope you feel the same way. Leaving you at night is always the saddest part of my day so why should I have to do it?"

She leans over and kisses him deeply, one hand in his hair and the other on his chest. He isn't usually a big fan of public displays but with Blair he just can't bring himself to care about what the other passengers on the train think as he returns her kiss with interest. He looks into her eyes when they finally pull away from each other.

"So is that a yes?"

Her face lights up and her eyes sparkle as she replies, "It's an enormous yes. I'd love to live with you."

The train pulls into the station and he pulls her towards the doors. "We're here. Now admit it that wasn't as bad as you thought."

They step onto the platform and she slaps him on the chest, "You tricked me. Don't think I haven't realised what you're game was Humphrey. You just wanted to get my mind of being on the subway. Well now you're stuck with me next year as a roommate so I hope you're happy."

"You have no idea how happy you've just made me but I don't want to take advantage so let's get outside before I ask you again." He pulls her up the stairs and outside before he turns towards her and says, "Would you like to live with me next year? It's not because I'm trying to distract you. It's because I can't imagine being with anybody else."

She smiles once more, "Then my answer is yes. I'd love to live with you. Now I think we should think of a way of celebrating."

"We could go and grab something to eat? What do you fancy?"

She smile up at him and answers in a low voice. "I was actually imagining a slightly more private celebration back at yours. I believe we were interrupted this morning."

"Now that's possibly the greatest celebration idea I've ever heard."

He takes her hand once more and the two of them arrive at the door of the loft in record time. Before he realises what he's doing the door is open and the two of them are kissing once more. He tears himself away and shouts, "Dad, Jenny, anybody home?" breathing a sigh of relief when there is no reply.

Stopping briefly has broken the spell however and he takes a minute to think about what he's doing before leading her towards the sofa and sitting down. "Are you sure about this Blair? I don't want to rush you and I can wait as long as you want. I love you so much and I don't want you to feel any pressure."

She turns to face him and answers softly, "I love you too and I promise I feel absolutely no pressure. This is what I want and I have to admit it's something I've been thinking about for way to long."

He responds with a gentle kiss as she opens her mouth he strokes her tongue softly with his. His eyes close and he breathes in the scent of her, running his fingers through her hair. She starts to unbutton his shirt and he pulls her to her feet, backing slowly towards his bedroom. He really doesn't want to be interrupted this time. He pauses at the door to his bedroom and asks one more time, "You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure about anything."

She drags him inside and the door closes behind them.

As they lie together afterwards Dan has literally never been happier. A few months ago he would never even have considered that he could have been friends with the girl who's sharing his bed right now but now he can't imagine being with anybody else.

Blair raises herself up on her elbow and catches his eye asking, "What are you thinking?"

He kisses her very gently on the mouth, "I'm thinking that bringing you home that night, after Dorota's wedding, was the best decision I ever made in my life. I still have no clue how we ended up together that night but I wouldn't change a thing."

She kisses him back and then lies down with her arm wrapped around him and her head on his chest. "You know I think back to that night and I think I knew even then that you were the guy who wouldn't hurt me. I couldn't possibly have considered that we'd end up here but I did know that you made me feel safe. Afterwards I found I couldn't imagine being away from you, as much as that confused me. Before I knew where I was you'd become my best friend. You sucked me in Humphrey and now I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

He tightens is arm around her, "I think I can live with that."

**The End**


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